Cynthia Ezegwu
Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has introduced a new marketplace feature that allows paying users to claim inactive or unused profile names, marking another step in the company’s monetisation strategy.
According to a statement on Monday, the service is currently available only to Premium Business and Premium+ subscribers.
The new system categorises usernames into two groups — “priority” and “rare.” Priority usernames, typically full names, multi-word phrases, or alphanumeric combinations, can be requested for free, with applicants expected to receive a response within three days. However, users who cancel or downgrade their subscription will lose access to the claimed name, which will revert to their previous handle.
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In contrast, rare usernames such as “@Tom” or “@Pizza” — often short or highly desirable — will be obtainable either by invitation from X or through a public application process. These can be purchased, and unlike the priority names, they remain with the user even after a premium subscription expires.
Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 for about $44 billion before rebranding it as X, had previously stated that usernames linked to inactive accounts would be released to improve platform engagement and accessibility.