Elon Musk suggests X will start charging all users a ‘small monthly payment’

(CBS NEWS) — Elon Musk says X, formerly known as Twitter, is considering having its users pay a “small monthly payment” to use the social media platform.

On Monday, Musk made the remarks during a livestreamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about artificial intelligence, saying the fee would be meant to keep bots off X.

“It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” he said.

He also added that X has 550 million monthly users that generate 100 million to 200 million posts a day. However, he didn’t indicate whether he was factoring bots into that figure.

The meeting with Netanyahu comes weeks after Musk said he may sue the Anti-Defamation League for purportedly accusing X and him of antisemitism, and fueling advertisers’ exodus from the social network. The ADL flagged a surge in bullying and antisemitic posts on X following the billionaire’s acquisition of the social network last year. On Monday, Musk said he’s against “attacking any group.”

“Obviously, I’m against antisemitism,” he said. “I’m against anti-really anything that promotes hate and conflict.”