The future of Elon Musk’s X remains challenging

Significance The surge in users comes as X, under Elon Musk’s leadership, has experienced an exodus, with up to 30% of users in key markets deactivating their accounts. Since Musk’s acquisition, the platform has faced increasing legal and reputational challenges worldwide concerning its content moderation and operational policies. Impacts The reduction in user numbers will ensure that X becomes less of a cultural phenomenon than Twitter was. As key content creators step away from the platform, the overall quality of content will continue to decline. Given Musk’s personal tendency to take an abrasive stance towards regulators, UK and EU policymakers may try to make an example of X.