Twitter Considers 'Selling' Usernames In Order To Make Money: Report

Twitter is reportedly considering auctioning off users names in order to keep generating revenue against Elon Musk's hefty debt.

According to a report by The New York Times, Twitter employees have had internal discussions about the idea of a user name auction since December.

Reuters

How could auctioning usernames work?

Elon Musk's $44 billion purchase of Twitter has pushed the company to look at new ways to generate revenue. As part of the purchase deal, Musk took on debt of $13 billion, implying that Twitter's annual interest expenses have gone from $50 million to $1 billion.

In essence, Musk needs Twitter to spend less on itself while continuing to make money. As part of this exercise, Musk has fired multiple teams and departments around the globe. After this, Elon Musk said that Twitter is "not in the fast lone to bankruptcy anymore."

Also read: Twitter's New 'For You' Page Prioritises Content Driven By Algorithm

Regardless, it remains unclear how the auctioning of user names will work on Twitter. Will it be applicable to all user names, or just ones that have not been claimed? And what happens to inactive accounts with highly sought usernames?

Unsplash

Earlier, Musk said that he wants to get rid of old Twitter accounts that have remained inactive for years. This, he says, could free up about 1.5 billion usernames.

If auctioning were to happen, it makes sense for usernames with brand influence to become the most expensive. At this point, all details of the username auctioning process are conjecture. But it would be interesting to see how Twitter balances its social media act while hoping to make tremendous amounts of money through such features.

Unsplash

Many users are also asking for "OG" usernames that would have a single alphabet, a letter, or a phrase as a username. It's possible that for auctioned accounts, Twitter could invent a new category. Until more clarity comes from Musk himself, we'll just have to wait and see.

Also read: Elon Musk's Turbulent Timeline At Twitter: How One Man Ruined Internet's Favourite App

What do you make of Twitter's shift in philosophy under Elon Musk? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Mac, R., & Conger, K. (2023, January 11). Twitter Said to Consider Selling User Names to Boost Revenue. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/technology/twitter-user-names-elon-musk.html

Griffith, K. (2023, January 11). Twitter considers auctioning off user names to generate new revenue. Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11624955/Twitter-considers-auctioning-user-names-generate-new-revenue.html