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Elon Musk considers selling Twitter user names to increase revenue
https://www.whatjobs.com/news/usa/us-business-news/elon-musk-considers-selling-twitter-user-names-to-increase-revenue
By Nithya Bose in Twitter/X News, posted January 15, 2023
Twitter is said to be planning to sell user names to bring in new revenue streams as Elon Musk tries to revive the business.
Sources say Twitter staff have held talks about the sale of some user names for the site since at least December.
Engineers have proposed holding online auctions where users may bid on user names.
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These are the words, figures, or strings of characters that appear after the @ symbol and are used to identify accounts on the platform.
For example, Mr. Musk's Twitter handle is @elonmusk.
Sources added it’s unclear if the plan will proceed and whether it would affect all user names or just a fraction.
Mr. Musk said last month that he intended to start removing inactive Twitter accounts to free up 1.5 billion user names.
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Only certain user names such as those of well-known people, brands, and popular names may have value.
Since Mr. Musk purchased it for $44 billion in October, the social media giant has been in upheaval.
Given the exorbitant cost of the deal, the billionaire is under pressure to make the purchase a success.
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The Tesla billionaire has since reduced Twitter's expenses by forcing layoffs, slashing other costs, and suspending vendor payments.
Mr. Musk has tried to explore new ways to generate money as Twitter's ad revenue has plummeted.
He has said that he plans to create an "everything app" like China's WeChat.
The app is used by over a billion people to access news, chat with friends, make payments, and order meals.
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Unique user names, also known as handles, can be profitable.
Early adopters of social media platforms usually claim them, and some people and companies are ready to spend thousands of dollars on them.
People may now acquire "original gangster," or O.G., user names that are coveted because they contain a short word or a number and may have been abandoned by their owners.
Mr. Musk and Twitter did not reply to requests for comment.
Source: The New York Times
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