When Elon Musk offered Twitter for the modest sum of $ 44 billion, he had promised to end the bots. However, three years later, the observation is overwhelming: the social network, renamed X, is more infested than ever. Worse, the bots proudly wear their blue badge, proof that some pay to exist. Changpeng Zhao, alias Cz, former boss of Binance and contributor to the purchase of Twitter, has just hit the table on the table: it wants a network populated by humans, no robots.
Should Musk listen to CZ and prohibit bots?
Tired of chatting with automated entities, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) challenged Musk on X:
“” I mean humans, not boots. Automated posts should be prohibited ».
According to the former CEO of Binance, The solution is simple :: Musk must deactivate the APIs allowing programs to post automatically.
Far from being a simple whim, this exasperation is based on facts:
- A study by the company Cheq already revealed in 2024 that the majority of traffic on X was false;
- The activity of bots has intensified since Musk reduced moderation staff by 70 %;
- The trolls of trolls and the AI made the anti-stroke filters obsolete.
CZ BNB, who had still injected $ 500 million in the buyout of Twitter in 2022wonders if this money would not have served elsewhere. Will Musk listen to him?
Nothing is less certain, especially since the boss of X seems convinced that he has an alternative.
Elon Musk imposes a tax to limit bots
Faced with this disaster, Musk does not remain a crossed arm. He is preparing a new strategy: impose costs on new users To check their authenticity. An experiment in New Zealand and the Philippines has already been launched in 2024, with an annual contribution of $ 1 to have the right to post, like and comment. According to Musk, “ AI and troll farms can thwart all conventional tests ».
But this approach could destroy one of the pillars of social networks: their gratuitousness.
This model could also be emulated. If x requires a subscriptionwhy would Tiktok or Instagram not follow? Especially since Netflix paved the way with its ban on account sharing, causing a wave of imitations in streaming.
Finally, is Musk not likely to complete its own social network with radical measures? If the bots proliferate, real users, they could end up deserting X …
Elon Musk and Cz had seen right: Twitter, who became X, was gangrenous by the bots. However, despite the promises and the millions invested, nothing really changes. Three years later, the social network still looks like a field of robots. New boss, same problems?
Maximize your Cointribne experience with our 'Read to Earn' program! For each article you read, earn points and access exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start accumulating advantages.
