Elon Musk Wants Twitter To Be Like These Apps

On Thursday, June 16, Elon Musk told Twitter employees his plans for the platform in his first Q&A session. Musk said that he plans to hit 1 billion users on Twitter. And for that, the company needs to become more like WeChat and TikTok.

Furthermore, Musk explained that Twitter could boost its user base and engagement by offering more utility. In addition, Twitter needs to ensure that “people are very entertained and informed” on the platform. Musk gave the example of WeChat, China’s super app that combines social media with payments, games, and ride-hailing to enhance his point. He said that no other app resembles WeChat outside of China. “You basically live on WeChat in China. If we can recreate that with Twitter, we’ll be a great success,” Musk stated in the virtual meeting. 

Moreover, Elon even paused TikTok’s algorithm for not being “boring.” He believes that they can make Twitter enjoyable in the same manner. Additionally, Musk praised Twitter for being better at surfacing news. “I think Twitter can be much better about informing people of serious issues,” were his exact words. 

Additionally, Elon laid out his vision for Twitter in the next five to 10 years. He said the company should contribute to building a society that’s better able to understand reality. During the virtual session, he again said that Twitter needs to focus more on subscriptions and payments. Elon Musk thinks that people should pay to become verified on Twitter. 

More on Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter

During the video call, Musk reiterated his earlier comments regarding cracking down on bots and spam. At one point, the Tesla CEO was ready to drop the deal with Twitter over the bot issue. So, Twitter gave in, giving him access to extensive data. 

Furthermore, if Elon succeeds in taking the company private, some significant changes are coming to Twitter. In addition, he expressed his intentions to make the company more financially disciplined. However, at the same time, he isn’t against allowing “exceptional” employees to continue to work from home. And although he did not reveal if he’ll stay as Twitter’s CEO, Musk did say he’ll be involved deeply in the product and business.