Elon Musk has a $44 billion problem. This is what he spent to buy Twitter or, rather, what he borrowed to acquire the social network in a crisis that he later regretted. Now that the bills are coming in, the mogul is looking for a way to generate income with Twitter; even if it means destroying most of the things that make him special.
[Elon Musk la lía y nos deja sin apps de terceros en Twitter para tener que usar la oficial]
Musk’s plan involves paying for both new and old features, but this will only work if you have full control of the platform; no one will pay if they can just install an app that does the same thing. In this context, you must understand the decision to block all third-party applications and today’s latest announcement.
Twitter imposes a paywall
The official developer Twitter account announced the end of free API access; This means that from now on, app makers will have to pay to use even the most basic features of the service.
Starting February 9, we will no longer support free access to the Twitter API, both v2 and v1.1. A paid base level will be available instead 🧵
– Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 2, 2023
To understand the scope of this measure, and why it generates so much controversy, it should be noted that Twitter has just put absolutely all of its features behind a paywall. And that includes everything from apps that automatically post tweets to services that let you connect with Twitter; all these developers use the same API, a set of instructions that until now were freely available.
It is thanks to this free access that many applications have integrated Twitter in one way or another. Some allowed us log in with our Twitter account, so you don’t need to create another username and password. Others made it possible to post messages on the social network, such as games announcing our high score.
Since February 9, all applications that have not paid will lose access to Twitter; the developers therefore only have one week to determine whether it is worth paying. How much? Well, it depends on the usage. Just for making 500 requests to the server, Twitter charges $149 per month, and the limit is 10,000 requests for $2,499 per month. It is obvious that many developers, especially those of services and small applications, have no reason to pay so much.
Access to the Twitter API is now paid. $149 for only 500 requests…
It’s way too much. pic.twitter.com/X7BkIiUqSm
— BuckyDroid (@BuckyDroid) February 2, 2023
As a user, this affects you. If you logged into an application with your Twitter account, It is recommended to create an account with your email and password if possible, or use an alternative system such as Google login if available.
Users will also be affected by the content they lose on the social network. Many bots, which automatically post tweets, use the API to schedule messages; creators will now have to pay or publish posts manually, but many have already warned that they will choose the third option: leave the platform.
When it’s all over, Musk will undoubtedly have a few more dollars in the account. Not 44 billion, of course. The question is whether it will be worth it, whether Twitter can survive without all those parts that make it different from other social networks.
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