X exodus grows amid Elon Musk's disruptive influence on platform
The number of active daily users on X is falling under Elon Musk's leadership, as indicated by the recent data highlighted by NBC News. According to market analysis firm Sensor Tower, the platform recorded 27 million active daily app users in the US this February. This figure represents an 18% drop from the previous year and a 23% decrease since November 2022, the first full month of Musk's tenure.
Decline surpasses that of other social media platforms
When compared to its competitors, X's decline is notably more severe. Although all major social media platforms have seen a net decrease in US app users since November 2022, none have experienced a drop as significant as X. TikTok, which saw the largest decline among Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, lost only 9.5% of its users—less than half of X's loss.
Leadership decisions impacting X's performance
Musk's leadership decisions are believed to be contributing factors to this decline. After assuming control of the platform, he initiated layoffs that resulted in over half of X's workforce being cut, including key engineers. This decision led to a noticeable decline in the site's functionality.
Controversial changes and rising hate speech under Musk
Under Musk's leadership, controversial changes to key features have been implemented. The old verification program was replaced with a system that allows users to pay for a checkmark. This change has led to an immediate increase in public figures being impersonated on the platform. Moreover, there has been a rise in hate speech on the site since his takeover, fueled by Musk's own contentious posts.
X claims to maintain healthy user base despite decline
Despite these challenges, X maintains that it has a robust user base. Today, the platform reported that it has a daily global user count of 250 million, albeit this is a decrease from the numbers reported at the beginning of Musk's takeover. According to NBC, this still falls short by eight million compared to the initial claim made at the start of Musk's ownership. Furthermore, X asserts that it has a monthly user count of 550 million.
