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submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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

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[-] Uglyhead@lemmy.world 85 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] Jeffool@lemmy.world 68 points 1 year ago

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 28 points 1 year ago

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

[-] beebarfbadger@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

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

[-] lemmie689 47 points 1 year ago

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

[-] Strayce 41 points 1 year ago

This guy is speedrunning enshittification.

[-] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 1 year ago

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

[-] smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

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

[-] Tygr@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago

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

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago

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

[-] offendicula@fedia.io 26 points 1 year ago

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

[-] dasgoat@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

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

[-] offendicula@fedia.io 2 points 1 year ago
[-] Nonononoki@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

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

[-] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

Someone is going to pay $50K to pretend

[-] simonced@lemmy.one 18 points 1 year ago

Tell me you're desperate without telling me you're desperate...

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

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 5 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] Artyom@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago

Finally Netflix can rename their DVD division to Quickster!

[-] aleq@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] Godric@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

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

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago

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

[-] Khanzarate@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] pensivepangolin@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

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 1 points 1 year ago

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 1 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] Uglyhead@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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 2 points 1 year ago

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

[-] MrSebSin@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago

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

[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago

Only if it comes with an nft.

[-] smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 year ago

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

[-] beebarfbadger@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Last step left is formerly-twitter selling digital hats.

[-] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] Send_me_nude_girls@feddit.de 7 points 1 year ago

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 4 points 1 year ago

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

[-] dyc3@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

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

[-] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

Fascism and desperation. Name a better duo.

[-] zingo@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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 3 points 1 year ago

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

[-] peyotecosmico@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago

That means I could buy elron_has_a_small_peepee now?

[-] Dsklnsadog@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago

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

[-] Netrunner@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago

I hope nobody buys anything from X, ever again

this post was submitted on 05 Nov 2023
249 points (90.0% liked)

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