Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions

[weatheriscool]

Elon Musk says Twitter's cash flow still negative as ad revenue drops 50%
Source: Reuters

Twitter's cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and a heavy debt load, Elon Musk said on Saturday, falling short of his expectation in March that Twitter could reach cash flow positive by June.

"Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else," Musk said in a tweet replying to suggestions on recapitalization.

This is the latest sign that the aggressive cost-cutting measures since Musk acquired Twitter in October alone are not enough to get Twitter to cash flow positive, and suggests Twitter's ad revenue may have not recovered as fast as Musk suggested in an interview in April with the BBC that most advertisers had returned to the site.

After laying off thousands of employees and cutting cloud service bills, Musk had said the company reduced its non-debt expenditures to $1.5 billion from a projected $4.5 billion in 2023. Twitter also faces annual interest payments of about $1.5 billion as a result of the debt it took on in the $44 billion deal that turned the company private.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon ... erm=071523

[caltrek]

Threads App Engagement Drops Off a Week After Launch
by Hope KIng
July 14, 2023

Introduction:

(Axios) The newness of Threads has worn off, according to estimates of user data.

By the numbers: Daily active users were down about 20% on Tuesday and Wednesday this week from Saturday, marketing data firm Sensor Tower says.

• Time spent has fallen from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.

• Separate data from Similarweb revealed similar patterns — a more than 25% drop in daily active users between July 7 and Monday among Android phone users.

What they're saying: Twitter competitor Threads "will need a more compelling value proposition than simply 'Twitter, but without Elon Musk,'"Anthony Bartolacci, managing director at marketing data firm Sensor Tower, tells CNBC.

Read more here: https://www.axios.com/2023/07/14/threa ... t-launch

[weatheriscool]

Threads problem is it isn't on web broweser/laptop/desktop yet and this is a major disadvantage. I have it on my phone but would love to have it for my lap top and desktop. It would probably kick twitters ass if they solved for this.

[Powers]

Threads problem is it isn't on web broweser/laptop/desktop yet and this is a major disadvantage. I have it on my phone but would love to have it for my lap top and desktop. It would probably kick twitters ass if they solved for this.

They should improve it to kick their ass.

[weatheriscool]

Musk says Twitter has lost nearly 50 percent of ad revenue, struggling with a 'heavy debt load'

The financial woes for Twitter appear to be continuing as owner Elon Musk announced the platform is experiencing a nearly 50 percent drop in advertising revenue as it struggles with heavy debt load.

“We’re still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” Twitter owner Musk wrote in a tweet Saturday.

Musk, who also serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, acquired Twitter last fall in a $44 billion deal. He served as the social media platform’s CEO before stepping down last month and serving as executive chair and chief technology officer.

Since taking over the company in October, the billionaire made a series of controversial choices, including mass layoffs, firing top executives and launching the Twitter Blue program, which requires users to pay a monthly subscription for the verification check. Musk also pulled back on various content moderation measures, reinstating previously suspended accounts like that of former President Trump, while limiting how many tweets users can read in a day.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4 ... debt-load/

[Time_Traveller]

Musk says Twitter has lost nearly 50 percent of ad revenue, struggling with a 'heavy debt load'

The financial woes for Twitter appear to be continuing as owner Elon Musk announced the platform is experiencing a nearly 50 percent drop in advertising revenue as it struggles with heavy debt load.

“We’re still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” Twitter owner Musk wrote in a tweet Saturday.

Musk, who also serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, acquired Twitter last fall in a $44 billion deal. He served as the social media platform’s CEO before stepping down last month and serving as executive chair and chief technology officer.

Since taking over the company in October, the billionaire made a series of controversial choices, including mass layoffs, firing top executives and launching the Twitter Blue program, which requires users to pay a monthly subscription for the verification check. Musk also pulled back on various content moderation measures, reinstating previously suspended accounts like that of former President Trump, while limiting how many tweets users can read in a day.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4 ... debt-load/

Either he pays up or sells the Bird.

[spryfusion]

Threads Engagement Plunges 70% After Record Signups (Report)

The Instagram-linked Twitter rival drew more than 100 million signups in its first week, but most users spend just 4 minutes a day on the app

They rushed to sign up, but they’re not hanging around much.

The number of daily active users on Meta’s Threads has plunged about 70% since the purported Twitter killer’s July 7 peak engagement, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing estimates from market tracker Sensor Tower.

The average amount of time that users spend on the Thread apps for both iPhones and Androids also decreased, to 4 minutes from 19 minutes, the report said. The app is not yet available in a desktop version.

The decline includes a drop to an average 5 minutes of user engagement from a peak of 21 minutes on July 5, the day the Instagram-linked microblogging site launched, The Journal reported, citing website traffic analytics firm SimilarWeb.

Daily active users on Twitter remain at about 200 million, and average time spent on the app is at 30 minutes a day, the report said, citing Sensor Tower estimates.

Read more here: https://www.thewrap.com/threads-engagement-plunges/

[weatheriscool]

Politico: Twitter to ditch bird logo, Musk says

Twitter is set for a rebrand, if its owner Elon Musk is to be believed.

"And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds," Musk wrote in a tweet early Sunday.

The change might come as soon as Monday. In a follow-up tweet, Musk said: "If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make [it] go live worldwide tomorrow."

"It should have been done a long time ago," Musk said in a Twitter Spaces audio chat, according to a Reuters report.

https://www.politico.eu/article/twitter ... -platform/

[Powers]

Politico: Twitter to ditch bird logo, Musk says

Twitter is set for a rebrand, if its owner Elon Musk is to be believed.

"And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds," Musk wrote in a tweet early Sunday.

The change might come as soon as Monday. In a follow-up tweet, Musk said: "If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make [it] go live worldwide tomorrow."

"It should have been done a long time ago," Musk said in a Twitter Spaces audio chat, according to a Reuters report.

https://www.politico.eu/article/twitter ... -platform/

Doge

[wjfox]

Politico: Twitter to ditch bird logo, Musk says

Twitter is set for a rebrand, if its owner Elon Musk is to be believed.

"And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds," Musk wrote in a tweet early Sunday.

The change might come as soon as Monday. In a follow-up tweet, Musk said: "If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make [it] go live worldwide tomorrow."

"It should have been done a long time ago," Musk said in a Twitter Spaces audio chat, according to a Reuters report.

https://www.politico.eu/article/twitter ... -platform/

[wjfox]

Elon Musk’s Twitter bans ad showing Republican interrupting couple in bedroom

2 days ago

An ad launched by Progress Action Fund launched, showing an elderly Republican congressman interrupting a couple in the bedroom, has now been banned on X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the Progress Action Fund, which aims to defeat Republicans in red states, the platform “has censored” its account as well as the ad, called “Keep Republicans Out Of Your Bedroom.” In addition, the platform has “placed a ‘Search Ban’ and a ‘Search Suggestion Ban’ on the account.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the account did not show up on the social media platform, yet the ad could still be seen on X through retweets from other accounts.

The Progress Action Fund said it contacted the platform’s legal department and “appealed the decision, which was denied.”

Joe Jacobson, Founder and Executive Director of Progress Action Fund, took a stab at X’s owner: “Elon Musk loves free speech, but only when it’s convenient for him and his far-right political agenda.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 82525.html

[Time_Traveller]

Elon Musk’s Twitter bans ad showing Republican interrupting couple in bedroom

2 days ago

An ad launched by Progress Action Fund launched, showing an elderly Republican congressman interrupting a couple in the bedroom, has now been banned on X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the Progress Action Fund, which aims to defeat Republicans in red states, the platform “has censored” its account as well as the ad, called “Keep Republicans Out Of Your Bedroom.” In addition, the platform has “placed a ‘Search Ban’ and a ‘Search Suggestion Ban’ on the account.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the account did not show up on the social media platform, yet the ad could still be seen on X through retweets from other accounts.

The Progress Action Fund said it contacted the platform’s legal department and “appealed the decision, which was denied.”

Joe Jacobson, Founder and Executive Director of Progress Action Fund, took a stab at X’s owner: “Elon Musk loves free speech, but only when it’s convenient for him and his far-right political agenda.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 82525.html

Musk must be a Republican then.

[Powers]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technolo ... elon-musk/

[Time_Traveller]

An X user with 455,000 followers had his handle 'ripped' away by Elon Musk's company as part of its rebrand from Twitter

Aug 5, 2023, 12:18 PM BST

The owner of a well-known X account said he is "super pissed" after the company appeared to take his handle and told him it would now be "affiliated with X Corp."

Jeremy Vaught, who runs an account with the handle "@music," which had 455,000 followers, shared an email from the company formerly known as Twitter saying his handle would be removed.

The page, which was formerly labeled Twitter Music, now has Vaught's old handle and is labeled as an affiliate of X.

In the email, which Vaught shared on X, the site said his account would be renamed to "@musicfan" and that his prior followers and data would be transferred over.

He said X gave him other alternatives to choose from, including "@musicmusic," "@music123," and "@musiclover" — all handles already in use by other X accounts.

https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter ... &r=US&IR=T

[weatheriscool]

Elon Musk's X is throttling traffic to websites he dislikes
Source: Washington Post

The company formerly known as Twitter has been slowing the speed with which users could access links to the New York Times, Facebook and other news organizations and online competitors, a move that appeared targeted at companies that have drawn the ire of owner Elon Musk.

Users who clicked a link on Musk’s website, now called X, for one of the targeted websites were made to wait about five seconds before seeing the page, according to tests conducted Tuesday by The Washington Post.

The delayed websites included X’s online rivals Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Substack, as well as the Reuters wire service and the Times. All of them have previously been singled out by Musk for ridicule or attack.

On Tuesday afternoon, hours after this story was first published, X began reversing the throttling on some of the sites, dropping the delay times back to zero. It was unknown if all the throttled websites had normal service restored.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technolo ... s-delayed/

[raklian]

Elon dropped the ball on this one. Is he willing to admit that? That's the question.

[weatheriscool]

[wjfox]

Oh God, just stop. Please.

---

X is planning to hide headlines from news links for ‘improved aesthetics’

August 22, 2023

Elon Musk-owned X, formerly Twitter, is planning to roll out a new way to display news links without any headline or description. The social network will display just the link and the header image in a post, according to a report by Fortune.

Musk confirmed the move in a post on Monday and said it was coming “directly” from him. The change would “greatly improve the aesthetics,” he said.

Currently, a Twitter card for a news article or a blog post shows the headline and summary text (just on the web) along with the header image in the preview card of a post. However, if the proposed change comes through, X will only show the image with a link in a post. That means if a publication or a blog doesn’t post any accompanying text with the link, users will only see the link and the image for that article.

A source told Fortune that the update aims to reduce the height of a post to fit more posts on one screen. They also said that Musk thinks that removing headlines from the preview card will reduce clickbait. However, with no preview card, publications or blogs can simply write any text inciting users to click on the link.

Incidentally, Musk also recently said journalists vying for more freedom and higher income should directly publish on X.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/22/x-is- ... esthetics/

[weatheriscool]

[wjfox]