The social media platform formerly known as Twitter has undergone tremendous changes since it was purchased by Elon Musk in 2022 but the billionaire has his eye on more.
Reports indicate that the Tesla CEO has his sights set on making X into a dating site as he moves ahead with his goal of turning the platform into an “everything app” for users.
Musk and new X CEO Linda Yaccarino reportedly held a company-wide meeting last week – on the anniversary of Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the company. According to anonymous sources cited by Business Insider, the meeting covered some of the expected changes coming to the platform.
“Both described the call overall as ‘scripted,’ but it wasn’t without off-kilter comments,” the report noted.
According to Insider:
During the call, Musk attempted to take a tone of excitement for what X will look like over the next year, the people present said. X will in 2024 be a “fully fledged” dating site, he insisted, as well as a digital bank. These details have not been previously reported, although other elements of the call were reported by The Verge as was the email that went out to staff right before the call by Fortune.
Musk did not get into details of how exactly X would become a dating app, if there was any user demand for such features, or what further product changes would be made to turn it into one, one of the people present said. However, the idea is in line with Musk’s push for features that require payment, as most dating apps today are some form of subscription service.
Earlier this year, Musk had indicated that he thought a Twitter dating app was an “interesting idea” in response to a tweet from a user.
When Twitter dating app?
Might actually save humanity from extinction.
Not even joking.
Very low hanging fruit.
Besides…. the EVERYTHING App, right?
p.s. I could make an entire video on how this opt-in app would work and why it would be 10x better than conventional… https://t.co/SEIeBNOSjQ
— stevenmarkryan (@stevenmarkryan) May 10, 2023
Content creator Steven Mark Ryan thought a Twitter dating app “might actually save humanity from extinction” and “would be 10x better than conventional dating apps.”
Interesting idea, maybe jobs too
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 10, 2023
“He wants people to pay for everything,” a source at the meeting told Insider.
“Musk said during the meeting he expects X to be capable of functioning as a bank by next year, the person added, whether or not users want it to be,” the outlet reported, noting that the source said, “It doesn’t seem to be what users really want.”
Employees at the company were reportedly offered new stock options as reports indicate that the value of X is now $19 billion, a stark contrast to the $44 billion Musk and his group of investors paid when they took the company private.
“On Monday, employees at X were awarded equity in the company at a valuation of $19 billion, or $45 per share,” The Verge reported, citing internal documents. “That price is a 55 percent discount to Musk’s original purchase price, per the documents, which note that ‘the fair market value per share is determined by the Board of Directors based on a number of factors in a manner that complies with applicable tax rules.’
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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