Elon Musk’s swift takeover of Twitter as his ‘all-in-one app’.
Elon Musk’s Bold Moves to Transform X
Elon Musk, the visionary behind X (formerly known as Twitter), has been making controversial design decisions that are either paving the way for the platform’s future or causing concern among users.
Musk’s announcements about the future of X have captured public attention. These decisions have often been sudden, communicated through his tweets, leaving it unclear how much planning or collaboration went into them with the rest of X’s leadership team. Some of these decisions include eliminating the block button, removing news headlines, and restricting access to third-party websites. While Musk envisions turning X into an “everything app,” it remains to be seen if his current approach will help him achieve that goal.
Here are the latest changes Musk is implementing to shape X according to his vision:
Removal of Twitter Block
Musk announced on Aug. 18 that he would be removing the ability to block users on X. Instead, he encouraged users to “mute” accounts, which hides their posts from view. This decision received immediate backlash from users, with Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway stating that the block feature is the best feature on the site.
Musk’s decision may face obstacles as app stores like Apple and Android require platforms to offer user-blocking functionality. If Musk proceeds with removing the block button, it could lead to X being removed from the Apple store.
Interestingly, Musk himself has used the block button, even though he wants to eliminate it. He blocked actor James Woods, emphasizing that removing the block button would make X ”untenable” for individuals like himself who value sharing their identities.
News Headline Removal
Musk recently announced his intention to remove headlines from news articles on X. Currently, when a link is shared on X, it includes a headline, picture, summary, and link. Musk’s update would remove the headline, limiting users’ ability to preview the content before clicking. According to Fortune, Musk’s reasoning behind this choice is to reduce the size of news content on the platform and display more posts.
Musk also claimed that this feature would greatly improve the aesthetics of X. However, some remaining advertisers on the platform opposed this design decision, but Musk proceeded with it nonetheless.
Throttled Links
Users reported on Aug. 15 that links to certain websites were being “throttled” or slowed down. Links to the New York Times, Reuters, Instagram, Bluesky, and Mastodon experienced a five-second delay. While X eventually reversed the throttling for news content, it continued for competitors. The platform has not provided any explanation for why specific links were throttled.
Musk’s ultimate goal for X is to transform it into an “everything app” similar to China’s WeChat. He shared a new clip promoting this vision on Wednesday.
In November 2022, Twitter filed paperwork with the Treasury Department to enable X to incorporate the necessary financial technology for online transactions. X has also embraced audio and visual hosting, improved direct messages, and other developments to become a one-stop destination for technological needs.
However, if Musk wants to turn Twitter into his vision of an everything app, he will need to find ways to improve its revenue stream soon. Musk confirmed in July that Twitter’s ad revenue, its primary source of income, had dropped by 50% in the past year. He also mentioned that the company is facing negative cash flow and heavy debt.
Musk has appointed former NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino to lead the company and promote his vision for the app. Yaccarino has fully embraced Musk’s idea of an everything app, inspiring the staff by telling them that they are “writing history, and there’s no limit to X’s transformation.”
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