April 13, 2026 | 07:45 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The head of Product at social media platform X, Nikita Bier, said X would reduce payments for accounts that flood timelines with clickbait content and rapid-fire news aggregation.
Quoting TechCrunch, Sunday, April 12 local time, Bier said that all aggregators would experience a 60 percent payout reduction this cycle.
They would then experience a 20 percent payout reduction in the next payment cycle.
Bier also said Elon Musk's social network would reduce payments to “habitual bait posters who use ‘BREAKING’ on every post.”
“It became abundantly clear: flooding the timeline with 100 stolen reposts and clickbait everyday crowded-out real creators and hurt new author growth,” Bier said.
Bier further added, “X will never infringe on speech or reach—but we will not compensate for manipulation of the program or our users.”
Bier's comments came after a number of news accounts began posting that they had received emails from X informing them that their accounts had been demonetized.
One creator, Dominick McGee, who goes by the name Dom Lucre, wrote, "I was the first creator demonetized on this platform and I was for an entire year. I got it back and just lost it without any insight. How could this be possible? I am one of the hardest working creators on X.”
McGee's account has 1.6 million followers on X. He first gained popularity for posting conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election.
McGee was temporarily banned from X in 2023 and had his monetization disabled in 2024. He told The New York Times last year that he earns $55,000 per year from the platform.
Bier's comments on monetization come after a new round of debate about the platform's value, with data analyst and expert Nate Silver.
Nate Silver complained about how difficult it was to drive traffic from X to other websites.
Bier claimed Silver's data was inaccurate, and Musk called his post "bullshit," even though other analyses have supported his claims.
Read: X Pledges to Remove Users Under 16 as Indonesia Ban Takes Effect
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
X Pledges to Remove Users Under 16 as Indonesia Ban Takes Effect
16 hari lalu
In addition to X, Meutya announced that Bigo Live has changed the minimum age limit from 13 to 18 years. TikTok has partially cooperated with the ban.
What Triggered the Viral SEAblings vs. Knetz Online Battle?
58 hari lalu
Rampant online debates between Southeast Asian "SEAblings" and South Korean "Knetz" are trending on X. What's the trigger?
EU Opens Probe Into Elon Musk's Grok Chatbot
27 Januari 2026
The European Commission is to look into whether Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot is spreading illegal content in the EU.
Indonesia Urges Grok AI to Address Wave of Nonconsensual Sexual Deepfakes
7 Januari 2026
If non-compliance with regulations is found, the government can impose administrative sanctions as well as terminate access to Grok and X services.
Grok AI Under Fire as Users Exploit Platform to Sexualize Photos
5 Januari 2026
The Grok AI tool has been misused to digitally remove clothing from people in photos, including minors.
Australia's Social Media Ban for Users Under 16 Takes Effect
10 Desember 2025
In the hours before the cutoff, some children in Australia posted goodbye messages to their online audiences, using tags such as "#seeyouwhenim16."
Why Is X Down, Leaving Users Struggling to Access the Platform?
19 November 2025
The social media platform X experienced disruptions on the evening of November 18, 2025, leaving many users unable to access the service.
Indonesia Fines Elon Musk's X Rp78mn Over Pornographic Content
14 Oktober 2025
The Komdigi Ministry issued a third warning letter to X for not meeting its obligation to pay the previously determined administrative fine.
Nepal Police Kill Several People at 'Gen Z' Protest
9 September 2025
Multiple people have died in Nepal after police fired live rounds having been unable to hold back the crowds with tear gas and water cannon.
France Probes X for Alleged Algorithm Manipulation in Foreign Influence Efforts
17 Juli 2025
The Paris Prosecutor's Office stated that the national gendarmerie unit is investigating X.
