Since Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, he, as a new leader has been actively working to transform the microblogging platform in various ways. With a mission to revamp every aspect of the company, from technical features to consumer policies, the billionaire has been making significant changes. Recently, he announced temporary limits on the number of tweets which the users could read per day, and in another tweet, he encouraged users to take breaks from their smartphones as well.
The new changes are part of Musk’s efforts to reshape the platform and offer a different user experience. The changes are intended to safeguard user data from excessive exploitation. Unregistered users attempting to view profiles will be prompted to log in or sign up, while those trying to view tweets will encounter a "Something went wrong. Try reloading" message, a news report confirmed.
The microblogging platform has been striving to break even and expects to achieve positive cash flow in the coming quarters as advertisers return, as revealed to the BBC in April 2023.
Here are a number of modifications, changes and upgradation made on Twitter, since Elon Musk took over the platform:
- Restructuring staff with thousands of layoffs: After acquiring Twitter last year for $44 billion, Musk made the difficult decision to cut thousands of jobs due to the platform's financial challenges. He revealed that Twitter was experiencing a daily loss of $4 million, and this situation led to advertisers abandoning the microblogging platform. As a result, Twitter underwent significant downsizing, reducing its workforce by approximately 80% since Mr. Musk assumed control in October. CNBC reported these developments in January, citing internal records it had obtained.
- Tweet Reading limit: The imposed limits differ from user to user- as per the verification status- verified users could read up to 10,000 posts per day, and unverified Twitter users have a limit of 1,000 posts per day. The new unverified users are restricted to 500 posts per day only, as updated by Musk.
- Login to view Twitter profiles: Earlier, users use to view anyone's profile to stalk, but since Musk took over, he added a protective layer which enables the users to log in if they are willing to view any profiles or tweets. The move has been taken to protect the platform from any kind of data exploitation.
- Video and voice calling: Musk has also planned to match the competitors when it comes to social media requirements. It has been reported that he has planned to introduce video and voice calls for transforming Twitter into an "ultra app", which will match the level of WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram- which already have these features.
- Paid blue tick/badge subscription: This was one of the saddest changes which affected the legacy blue badge on Twitter. Musk introduced a paid subscription service for the Twitter Blue tick badge and removed other legacy blue ticks from every user. So, if someone wants to own a blue badge, they will have to pay a monthly cost- depending on the country. The blue badge offers a couple of premium features like Edit Tweet, sending DMs, posting longer format tweets, viewing more Tweets and more. This move made many users upset, as some of the most authenticated people were spotted with the Blue badge.
- Two-factor authentication for Blue badge users only: To update the security of the platform, Twitter added Two-factor authentication via text message. It became a paid feature in order to combat abuse by bad actors.
- Publishers to charge users: Musk’s main goal has been on monetization, and he also added a feature for publishers who were allowed to charge users on a per-article basis, to make money from the platform.
- Open Sorce: Back in April, Musk made a significant announcement, stating that the social media company would adopt an "open source" approach, aiming to foster transparency on the platform. This decision entails making "literally everything" open source, which would grant the public access to examine and scrutinize the company's proprietary software. Moreover, people would be able to propose their ideas to developers for altering Twitter's code and potentially utilize the algorithm in their own applications. This move marks a notable shift in the company's strategy towards greater openness and collaboration with the broader community.
- Twitter bans accounts of rival social media platforms and the linking: In the previous year, Twitter announced its intention to delete the accounts of users who share links to its competing platforms. The mentioned list of rivals comprised Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribal, Post, and Nostr. Notably, TikTok was not among the platforms listed for this account removal policy.
- Bringing new CEO: In June 2023, Twitter witnessed a leadership change as Linda Yaccarino was appointed for the role of the new chief executive. Formerly serving as the head of advertising at NBC Universal, Yaccarino has been entrusted with the responsibility of revitalizing Twitter's revenue streams. She took over from Musk, who, in a poll he conducted in December, was requested by a majority of Twitter users to step down as chief executive.
- Rebranding the Twitter name: In April, Twitter and Musk's other company, X Corp, underwent a merger, combining their operations. In recent statements, he expressed his belief that acquiring Twitter would act as a catalyst for the development of X Corp's "everything app." He envisioned X to be similar to WeChat, China's widely popular messaging service, aiming to offer a versatile and comprehensive platform for users. He also indicated the change of the platform’s name, which is expected to happen in the near future.
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