Elon Musk has shared some insights into development projections for the X app, in addition to how X is at the moment performing, as a part of a broader all-hands assembly of the brand new, mixed xAI and SpaceX group.
Following the departures of a number of xAI executives, Musk sought to reassure workers of his future path, by outlining his evolving plans to construct a base on the moon, develop xAI, and extra.
And inside that, we additionally received some notes on X particularly, which level to how the platform is performing, and how much utilization X is at the moment seeing.
First off, X’s head of product Nikita Bier stated that X has now hit a $1 billion annual run charge for X subscriptions.
X Premium has been a significant level of competition, with Musk hoping, initially, to get nearly all of X’s customers to pay for the app, as a method to each generate further income (lowering reliance on advertisers) and deter spammers, by making account creation cost-prohibitive.
However so far, X Premium hasn’t seemingly caught on in a significant method, with studies suggesting that solely round 1% of X’s person base are paying for the app, although earlier this yr, exterior information did recommend that there had been an uptick in X subscriptions, pushed by curiosity in its Grok AI instruments.
And now, X claims that it’s now reached $1 billion in annual income from subscriptions.
I imply, that’s nonetheless a good distance off what the platform generates from adverts, however for comparability, Snapchat lately reported that it earned $750 million from Snapchat+ subscriptions in 2025. So X reaching $1 billion is inside the realm of what may very well be anticipated, with increasing curiosity in Grok serving to to drive extra curiosity in its paid choices.
Musk additionally gave a wierd overview of how X truly has one billion customers, or may have quickly, or one thing.
As per Musk: “The rationale we are saying 1 billion customers is that whereas our month-to-month customers are, on common, round 600 million, the quantity of people that have the X app put in is nicely over a billion, it is simply that most individuals solely sometimes come to the X app when there’s some main world occasion. However as we give folks extra causes to make use of the X app, whether or not it is for communications, for Grok or for X cash, regardless of the case could also be, we wish it to be such that, in the event you needed to, you possibly can dwell your life on the X app, and as we make it increasingly helpful, we’ll clearly give folks compelling causes to make use of the app day-after-day, and my expectation is nicely over a billion day by day lively customers.”
So, X doesn’t have a billion customers now, however it has a passive utilization of over a billion, and it’ll have a billion actives someday quickly.
Although even the person rely quoted right here is in competition, as a result of earlier within the week, Bier famous that he serves as buyer assist for 500 million folks.
So, X has 500 million or 600 million lively customers, however truly, a billion folks might use the app if it was higher. So Musk is claiming a billion customers, or saying that that is the goal.
Both method, there’s one thing a few billion customers right here.
X additionally claims that January noticed a significant spike in total engagement, whereas February will beat that once more, whereas first-time downloads are additionally up 50%.
And when it comes to what persons are doing within the app, X says that the quantity of long-form articles printed on X has jumped 10x, with studying of long-form posts within the app up 17x.
Although whenever you supply a $1 million prize for the preferred article within the app, that may are inclined to drive much more curiosity.
Lastly, Musk additionally mentioned the event of X Cash, which he hopes would be the subsequent huge evolution for the app.
Musk’s dream is to create an all-in-one platform, by which customers can interact, store, pay payments, and so forth., all in a single app, as Chinese language customers do on WeChat, however so far, Musk’s hopes for even easy cash transfers in-stream have been dashed by regulatory approvals, which X has been struggling to acquire in some U.S. states.
Musk initially stated that it will “blow my thoughts” if X didn’t have funds transfers up and operating on X by the top of 2024, however greater than a yr on, we’re nonetheless but to see something on this entrance.
Although Musk says that it’s coming.
Musk says that X Cash is already working internally, with expectations of a public launch inside the subsequent two months.
Yeah, I wouldn’t be betting an excessive amount of on that taking place, and Musk does have a protracted historical past of overly optimistic projections. However because it stands proper now, X doesn’t have a cash transmitter license in New York, a key state for its plans, and with out that, and approval in a number of different U.S. states, I’m unsure that we’re going to be seeing X Cash in 2025.
However Musk says that it’s coming, most likely by April. So we’ll see.
X didn’t supply perception into its advert enterprise, so we don’t have full perception into the efficiency of the app, however these notes do present some further context as to how the X mission is evolving, as Musk and Co. search for methods to make it a extra beneficial, participating platform.
And it additionally types a key a part of X’s AI plans, with X information feeding into the xAI system. So it’s a essential puzzle piece for Musk’s broader plans, and it’ll be attention-grabbing to see if and the way X can get extra of its viewers again in 2026.
