Recently, Elon Musk is once again under the spotlight due to two highly significant matters: his decision to sue the creators of ChatGPT for forgetting its original purpose, and the relentless success of Starlink, his satellite internet service, which already has millions of users in every country around the world. However, as expected, Musk has not been free from controversy, and this time, one of his comments on his own social network has been the cause.
A user, posting on X, claimed that Musk had fired no less than 90% of the platform’s workers and that, even so, it continued to function as a system. Musk responded by correcting the figure, saying it was not 90% but 80%, which had reduced the original workforce of 7,500 to just over 1,300 over a few months. The controversy arose from how he acknowledged it, doing so in a defiant manner and stating the following: “80%, but it’s a valid argument.”
X is not in its best phase
Since Musk successfully completed the purchase of the platform, it has seen tremendous growth in user numbers, surpassing 540 million unique users. However, this figure constitutes one of the very few pieces of good news in this phase. On the other hand, the total scenario highlights numerous layoffs, countless complaints, and an abrupt decline in advertising revenue.
In the realm of conventional economics, advertiser absenteeism has caused the social network’s revenue volume to drop by 59%. Musk has defended his decision to reduce the workforce, arguing that it was essential to cut costs and save up to 4 million euros annually. However, the deterioration in security is significant: the workforce now has only 20 employees. Consequently, the proliferation of bots and accounts created in violation of regulations has become an increasingly evident problem.
Despite the difficulties, Musk seems to believe that X has a secure future and that it can continue to ensure the proper functioning of the social network after laying off most of its workforce. This raises the debate about the fine line between the profitability the company must ensure and its long-term sustainability.
