X is reportedly selling inactive usernames for $50,000 — The move is the platform’s latest attempt to raise revenue (www.pcmag.com)
from L4s@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 02:00
https://lemmy.world/post/7805041

X is reportedly selling inactive usernames for $50,000 — The move is the platform’s latest attempt to raise revenue::undefined

#technology

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Tygr@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 02:07 next collapse

These aren’t 3-letter dictionary word .com domains Elon. Nobody will pay that on a service that’s devaluing by the hour.

MamboGator@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 02:28 next collapse

The type of people who still follow Elon Musk have proven they’re stupid enough to think this is a good idea, and the number of people who preordered a cybertruck shows that plenty of them have the money to actually do it. As stupid as this all is, I’m 100% sure Elmo Fudd will make at least some money from it.

Because this is somehow our stupid, stupid reality.

pensivepangolin@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 12:30 collapse

I’m sorry, I know this is off-topic, but you mentioned the cyber truck…

…have you seen how ugly and stupid the cyber truck looks? It looks nothing like it’s primo materials; it’s just an ugly stainless steel slab. It’s laughable.

ultra@feddit.ro on 07 Nov 2023 10:19 collapse

Depends. Some people like it, some hate it.

ICastFist@programming.dev on 05 Nov 2023 13:10 collapse

My guess is that crypto scammers are the ones more likely to buy some of the inactive handles

Uglyhead@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 02:10 next collapse

Musk claimed that “vast numbers of handles were consumed by bots/trolls” and that he was “aiming to start freeing those up next month.”

So Phony Stark is going to start taking anyone’s Twitter handle that he considers a troll and selling them.

[deleted] on 05 Nov 2023 03:00 collapse

.

rish@lemmy.ml on 05 Nov 2023 06:52 collapse

Someone will buy @ElonMusk just for trolling

lemmie689@lemmy.sdf.org on 05 Nov 2023 02:17 next collapse

My account might be worth $50k? Any offers here? 1/2 price fire sale here on Lemmy, only $27k!

WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 02:29 next collapse

Sounds like the intention’s to force existing users/companies to continue using the platform, or he’ll sell their brand to someone else who could damage it.

DogMuffins@discuss.tchncs.de on 05 Nov 2023 03:16 collapse

If this was the intention, it might backfire.

If you’re not active on Twitter but you don’t want your account stolen, is it easier to become active or just use some service to post drivel every few days.

Strayce@lemmy.sdf.org on 05 Nov 2023 02:35 next collapse

This guy is speedrunning enshittification.

SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de on 05 Nov 2023 06:25 next collapse

He’s new in the social media business. Has some catching up to do

smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de on 05 Nov 2023 13:10 collapse

Miss the times when I was thinking he is speedrunning Factorio.

peyotecosmico@programming.dev on 05 Nov 2023 02:44 next collapse

That means I could buy elron_has_a_small_peepee now?

Dsklnsadog@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 05 Nov 2023 07:59 collapse

Sorry dude, you have to bid and I’m playing $$$

tacosanonymous@lemm.ee on 05 Nov 2023 03:02 next collapse

Fascism and desperation. Name a better duo.

SeaJ@lemm.ee on 05 Nov 2023 03:05 next collapse

How is this guy one of the richest in the world? This is on the level of used car salesman.

Khanzarate@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 04:45 collapse

He started rich, invested in a relatively early online bank that did decently, was CEO, got voted out of being CEO and they put someone competent in that position, where it evolved into Paypal. EBay bought PayPal for 1.5 billion dollars, and that gave Musk a stupid amount of money to throw at things, like founding spaceX and buying into Tesla very early. spaceX and Tesla have competent people.

Honestly, as far as I can tell, his whole business life has been coming up with ideas, finding competent people to help make those ideas reality, and then getting replaced with those people, leaving him with a large amount of money and time to repeat the loop. He also seems to be a good engineer for spaceX. If he didn’t start rich, he’d be chief engineer somewhere and do a good job, but instead, he fucks up businesses and then usually gets removed. In twitter’s case, though, he bought it personally, and there’s no shareholders to kick him out, so all the business stupidity has to play out.

Uglyhead@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 12:31 next collapse

Ooo, mention the part where when wanting to start SpaceX, Muskrat travelled the world trying to buy technology, while being what must have been a complete shite in Russia, a top Russian space scientist spat on him.

Khanzarate@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 22:18 collapse

Well-deserved as far as I can tell. Had to get an expert to come with him before they’d even consider again.

pensivepangolin@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 12:33 collapse

Close!

He doesn’t come up with anything. He just got lucky buying into other people’s companies based on their ideas.

Khanzarate@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 22:21 collapse

Do you have a source? I admit mine aren’t for sure free of bias, but I’m pretty confident X.com, the online banking company, was actually his.

PayPal (the service) wasn’t, and it was eventually so important that they renamed the company after the service, so he’s not doing great here, but he wasn’t completely devoid of good ideas.

I wonder what happened to that, because he certainly is devoid of ideas now.

pensivepangolin@lemmy.world on 06 Nov 2023 16:16 collapse

Okay so a cursory reading of Wikipedia (yeah I know, not the most credible) shows that you are correct about him being one of the key players in starting the online bank X.com with Peter Thiel and crew.

I concede that point! My apologies for casting aspersions.

Artyom@lemm.ee on 05 Nov 2023 03:35 next collapse

Finally Netflix can rename their DVD division to Quickster!

aleq@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 07:24 collapse

I think the DVD division finally shut down a few weeks ago. Read about it in the same breath that I learned it still existed.

simonced@lemmy.one on 05 Nov 2023 04:24 next collapse

Tell me you’re desperate without telling me you’re desperate…

MrSebSin@sh.itjust.works on 05 Nov 2023 05:06 next collapse

Only need to sell 40,000 to make up the current loss amount.

offendicula@fedia.io on 05 Nov 2023 05:28 next collapse

He'll really do anything except the things we all know will bring the advertisers back.

dasgoat@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 06:33 collapse

Like kick nazis off his platform. He’s committed to being the worst possible bussinessman

offendicula@fedia.io on 05 Nov 2023 13:10 collapse

Exactly

eestileib@sh.itjust.works on 05 Nov 2023 06:17 next collapse

Only if it comes with an nft.

Jeffool@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 07:38 next collapse

Seems like a good time to remind everyone just a few months ago he took two active usernames from their users without warning. Both @x and @music were in use and taken by Musk with no warning and no recompense.

At this rate I see it as completely possible that someone buys one, and the first time they don’t update within whatever Musk feels like is “too long” that day, he takes it back with no warning.

Contend6248@feddit.de on 05 Nov 2023 08:54 collapse

What a lovely idea, i want to buy a car from him

beebarfbadger@lemmy.world on 06 Nov 2023 02:18 collapse

One that runs over grannies on its own or one that runs over grannies while looking like a crumpled up F-117?

JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 11:55 next collapse

Pretty much expected. No one really deletes anything. It’s just marked as inactive and hidden from public view. Then the data raping can begin.

smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de on 05 Nov 2023 13:11 next collapse

Domain names? Who needs them when you can buy a nickname on rusted platform!

beebarfbadger@lemmy.world on 06 Nov 2023 02:16 collapse

Last step left is formerly-twitter selling digital hats.

Nonononoki@lemmy.world on 05 Nov 2023 15:31 next collapse

Someone’s gonna buy realDonaldTrump and pretend it’s the real one lmao

HurlingDurling@lemm.ee on 05 Nov 2023 20:25 collapse

Someone is going to pay $50K to pretend

Netrunner@programming.dev on 06 Nov 2023 03:40 next collapse

I hope nobody buys anything from X, ever again

Godric@lemmy.world on 06 Nov 2023 04:58 next collapse

Q: What’s the fastest way to make a social media company worth $20 billion?

A: Start at $55 billion and do whatever the fuck the Muskrat is doing!

It would genuinely funny to watch one of the largest, most socially relevant websites commit suicide in real time, of it wasn’t so sad

Send_me_nude_girls@feddit.de on 06 Nov 2023 11:23 next collapse

Aren’t there some sites that allow Twitter login as login for their site? I wonder if you keep the same token and can identify as them.

Tbh I haven’t done anything like this on a technical level yet, so maybe it’s not possible.

rolling_resistance@lemmy.world on 06 Nov 2023 14:43 next collapse

I don’t think they use handle as a profile identifier.

dyc3@lemmy.world on 06 Nov 2023 20:29 collapse

Nah, they use a unique identifier other than your handle because you can change your handle.

zingo@lemmy.ca on 06 Nov 2023 22:42 next collapse

That’s seem like an accurate and fair price point for a username.

Sign me up! I’ll take 2 please.

satans_crackpipe@lemmy.world on 07 Nov 2023 09:08 collapse

This reads more like “twitter.com is reportedly attempting to sell dusty office furniture”.