It’s barely been a week since Elon Musk took over Twitter, after a long and horrible soap opera, about which we informed you in time. And it was obvious, given the billionaire’s more than concrete personality, that his landing on the social network was not going to be… shall we say smooth. If anyone expected Musk to act like a “traditional” CEO after the transition was complete, it must have been because they were hearing about him for the first time. Making a lot of noise is part of his personality, as he has shown for years.

A) Yes, one could expect him to start making decisions and making changes right from the start, but I think that even for those of us who were already expecting something like this, the level reached in the last few days has exceeded what one could have thought would happen. And for example, it has been publicly and infamously rumored for months that the board headed by Parag Agrawal would be fired immediately, but not so much that Elon Musk would try to suggest his departure, of all dismissals for cause, to avoid payment of compensation to which they would be entitled to be considered inadmissible. A possible claim for unfair dismissal thus hangs in the air.

Adjustments among the rest of the staff were also to be expected, but not as high as we learned this morning, let alone it would be done so exhaustively. According to some sources, the layoffs in some cases would completely empty certain departments that we understand Elon Musk considers expendable. And as I mentioned, the possibility of a class action lawsuit by the fired employees is also starting to float in the air.

On the other hand, we have seen moves like trying to monetize the verification system, first at $20 a month, which dropped to eight dollars a month shortly after and after exchanging messages with Stephen King. What reasons did Elon Musk give for this? Give people power back, fight trolls and spam… and pay the bills. Probably the third point is the one that weighs the most in this badge monetization plan.

On the other hand, it also turned out that the social network is considering the possibility fee for sending direct messages to celebrities present on Twitter. Of course, this feature would be optional, and if used, celebrities could set a price for both parties to split (the percentage each would get is unknown). Pay to interview a celebrity, you might call the feature, which as an addendum should mean the price doesn’t necessarily include the right to reply. And I have some doubts that the celebrities he now wants to check to verify them want to help the platform make money.

And it doesn’t stop there, because today Elon Musk posted tweet in which he states the following: «Twitter has seen a massive drop in revenue as activist groups put pressure on advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we’ve done everything we can to appease activists.«. He ends the report by stating that “It is so [los activistas] trying to destroy free speech in America«.

Apparently, Elon Musk’s main concern right now is not freedom of speech, power to people or diversity on Twitter, no. What really focuses their concerns (and mind you, I understand perfectly, I would do the same in his place) is advertising revenue, the main source of monetization of the social network. Not surprisingly, even before he took control of Twitter, he was already busy trying to appease them. A message that, as can be inferred from the tweet I just quoted, would not end up breaking through.

And that’s understandable, of course, because as it became quite public and many Twitter users could see it at the time, Musk’s ascension to Twitter had an immediate effect that usage of the unpronounceable word, the n-word, increased by 500% in a matter of hours. And on this point I also agree with Musk when he says that «nothing has changed on content moderation«. The problem is that as a public figure who has not hesitated to join polarizing Twitter, sometimes spawning conspiracy theories and criticizing certain social positions, she now faces the consequences of being identified with their detractors.

With a potential exodus of advertisers which account for about 90% of Twitter’s revenueMusk has to try to square some numbers that seem more complicated with each passing hour. And that was also a bit predictable. We already told you in April that thanks to the credits you used for the purchase, you will have to start paying interest from 2023, which will most likely make a big “break” in your finances. And yes, Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, but the price to buy Twitter could seriously threaten that position.

With the interest rates indicated in the April promises, between 6% and 11% of the debt, in these documents that define the terms of the loans, Elon Musk will have to face an interest payment of about $1,000 million next year. Therefore, it does not seem to be a coincidence that, as we also told you this morning, this is exactly the amount that Musk ordered to save on infrastructure costs. Those who enter over those who leave, as the popular saying goes.

Why is Elon Musk acting like this?

The answer seems quite clear: for money.. You need to raise Twitter’s level of monetization to unprecedented levels, or your own finances are at risk. Again, I understand your concerns and your need to act. However, looking at his behavior in recent days, he seems to lack a lot of reflection in the process. Something that, and he should be aware of this more than anyone else, is complicating his situation even more.

I never saw the news until this week (and there was a lot of it) I wonder how much time Twitter has left to live. And contrary to what some may think, I’m not talking so much about profiles with a clearly critical profile of Musk, but more neutral people who objectively see that Twitter has never been more on edge than it is now. And what is crossed is, you can imagine, an abyss.

Personally, I hope that Musk can even out the circle and make Twitter sustainable. I have had an account on this social network since October 2008 (14 years now, how time flies) and with its pros and cons, it has long been the social network I use the most. A) Yes, the key is that Elon Musk is able to guarantee his persistence… or that Twitter is able to outlive Musk.