Por qué no podemos dejar el sitio antes conocido como Twitter

Since acquiring the former platform known as Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, Elon Musk's new company, now called X, has seemingly paid for itself. Almost four years have passed since Musk announced the purchase, declaring that "the bird has been freed." However, this bird has not taken flight but remains deeply embedded in the global collective psyche.

In Silicon Valley, there is a growing sense that X is experiencing a resurgence. The platform differs from its predecessor in four significant ways: longer posts, the return of influential users such as Bill Ackman and Donald Trump, the integration of Musk's AI bot Grok, and Musk's acquisition of SpaceX, valued at $2 trillion. Financially, X's revenues have fallen, with $3.2 billion reported in 2023 compared to Twitter's $5.1 billion in 2022.

The "freedom of expression" policy and Musk's own political ventures have led to an exodus of advertisers. However, X remains the reference in technology and politics. High-profile individuals, such as Apple CEO John Ternus, have begun posting on X shortly after assuming their roles. Jacob Coxon, former Anthropic engineer, not only reported to The Wall Street Journal about potential environmental destruction by his former employer but also shared a lengthy thread on X. Anthropic's AI safety executive echoed this sentiment through X. Similarweb data shows a decrease or stagnation in monthly users for at least a year, while average time spent on the site has increased to three minutes per visit, up from just over two minutes a year ago.

However, data from HundredX indicates that over a third of X users are considering or might consider switching platforms, primarily to competitor Bluesky. Despite this, the proportion of users leaving comments on the platform has remained largely unchanged, suggesting they are not abandoning it in practice. X's ability to retain users is undeniable, and it boasts elements its competitors lack, such as a financially powerful owner and a legion of Wall Street defenders.

Morgan Stanley predicts that X and Grok's revenues could reach $35 billion by 2030. Even if these projections prove overly optimistic, the presence of X provides a positive factor for SpaceX investors. For SpaceX stakeholders, X serves as a megaphone, and Musk's personal brand projection contributes to the conglomerate's valuation at 21 times projected earnings for the next year, three times higher than Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook.

Musk's $44 billion purchase of Twitter in 2022 has seemingly paid for itself through increased valuation for SpaceX. A 0.4 times increase in valuation for X has helped Musk gain greater visibility and attention, theoretically making the platform worth its cost. After all, being talked about is worth more than being well-regarded. © The Financial Times Limited [2026].

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