Regardless of whether one thinks Elon Musk has done a fantastic or terrible job running Twitter since taking the company private, it is clear that he has forgotten the centrality of its users to the platform’s value.
Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion last year and recognized during the initial sale negotiations that the company’s users are critical to its success, as evidenced by his attempt to pull out of the deal after he was dissatisfied with the number of bots on the platform. This clearly demonstrated his appreciation for the value of real Twitter users.
However, in an effort to bring Twitter back to profitability, Musk has forgotten this principle and has instead implemented changes that prioritize the platform’s bottom line over its users. The shift started with making key new features exclusive to Twitter Blue subscribers, including the ability to edit tweets, post long-form videos, and use an extended character limit. Although some users may have been dissatisfied with the lack of new features coming to them for free, in February 2023, Musk broke a cardinal rule of business by charging for something that used to be free.
If Musk insisted on placing certain free features behind a Twitter Blue subscription, it may not have been wise to choose an additional security method that could alienate a large portion of Twitter users, particularly those who value security. On March 20, 2023, Twitter announced through a pop-up message and a blog post that text message two-factor authentication will only be available to Blue subscribers. According to the company, 74.4% of the 2.6% of active Twitter accounts that use two-factor authentication rely on text message verification. Twitter cited security concerns as the reason for the change, as phone-number-based 2FA has been used and abused by bad actors. However, if this is the case, why would Twitter allow its paying customers to continue using a weak security protocol? Given Musk’s enthusiastic social media presence, it is clear that this change was not motivated by security.
In response to criticism of Twitter’s decision to make SMS verification exclusive to Blue subscribers, Musk wrote on Twitter, “Twitter is getting scammed by phone companies for $60 million per year of fake 2FA SMS messages.” The choice to limit SMS verification to Blue subscribers, like most of Musk’s changes to Twitter, was driven by money. The company will save money on sending SMS verification messages to users, and it will generate some revenue from users who subscribe to Blue for added security.
In theory, this change will encourage Twitter users to adopt a more secure form of two-factor authentication, saving the company money and better protecting users. However, 74.4% of users choose text message verification for a reason, and it’s likely that users will simply forego two-factor authentication rather than switch to a different method. Twitter is aware of this, but has determined that removing a core account security feature is worth the money it will save. This is the latest example of Musk disregarding the importance of Twitter users, and he should be cautious not to test their patience. They may abandon Twitter for a more user-friendly alternative, leading to its demise.
What is your opinion?
Oh no, I left my phone at home.
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Darn it, I got a parking ticket.
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