Why would Elon Musk want to make surveys pay?

The answer was long overdue. Elon Musk has finally responded to the result of the poll he had launched asking users if he should leave the direction of Twitter. To which 57.5% of voters, or 17 million accounts, answered yes. “I will quit as soon as I find someone crazy enough to replace me,” tweeted the new owner of the platform.

But before this official reaction, Elon Musk made another announcement by responding to one of his supporters. At the suggestion of reserving the polls on the policy of the social network only to holders of the blue badge paying, the billionaire replied: “Good point. Twitter will make this change. »

Encourage users to purchase a paid subscription

Why is this a good idea? Offering the possibility of launching or responding to a survey only to holders of the “Twitter Blue” subscription, finally deployed on December 12 at a price of eight dollars per month, would help diversify the platform’s sources of income. “Financially, the company is doing very badly,” recalls Emmanuelle Patry, founder of Social Media Lab and specialist in social network analysis.

Elon Musk himself has repeatedly declared that Twitter is on the verge of bankruptcy. The company’s revenue is 90% dependent on advertising. However, as we explained here, the main advertisers have deserted. And since the takeover by Elon Musk, the company has been stuck in debt.

“Making surveys a benefit reserved for paying members could encourage users to subscribe to a subscription,” says Emmanuelle Patry. Because it is a very effective interaction tool, which creates a lot of virality. It would be like a permission given to certain profiles to have more performance. Afterwards, will this be enough to encourage Internet users to pay? »

The search for new investors

The social media specialist does not understand the strategy of Elon Musk, whose image has deteriorated further after recent controversies over the suspension of accounts of journalists who tracked his jet or the ban on promoting others platforms. “I don’t see how his decisions can help Twitter get better. And above all, everything is very [trop ?] quick. We are in a constant sense of urgency. It’s as if he wanted to torpedo the network. »

In the meantime, the boss, who has already spent 44 billion dollars to afford the blue bird, took his pilgrim’s stick to find new investors. According to an investigation by the American media Semaforidentified by Le Figarothe family office the billionaire has thus set out in search of funds and personalities ready to buy Twitter shares by the end of the year at the price of their acquisition (54.20 dollars per unit). And Elon Musk reportedly went to Qatar for the World Cup final in order to seek financial partners.


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