$200 million in app purchases since 2021 sounds like a lot, right? But look at it another way, and you'd see that Musk’s big push to make X subscription-based is struggling.
$200 million is just a slice of what’s needed to shake off reliance on ad dollars. And that doesn’t even factor in commission fees, which can chop off up to 30%. Plus, it’s all mobile app data. So yeah, the total revenue might be higher, but still far from enough.
The problem? Not enough people are buying into X Premium.
Why? Maybe the perks just aren’t that great. A blue checkmark and fewer ads for $11 a month? That’s a hard sell in a world where people expect social media for free and, in fact, to be paid.
Sure, there’s Grok AI and other “advanced features,” but how many everyday users even care?
What makes it worse is how desperate it feels.
X is now paying creators based on Premium engagement, hoping to drive more sign-ups, but that only pushes low-effort, controversial content, the same stuff that turns off advertisers. It’s a short-term fix for a long-term issue.
You can’t build a stable platform on clickbait.