Amid concerns about advertising revenue, X sees a surge, drawing in more than 10 million new users in December
In a recent update on the social media platform X, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced that over 10 million individuals joined the service in December. This revelation coincides with a critical period for the company, formerly known as Twitter, which is grappling with potential advertising revenue losses of up to $75 million by year-end. Notably, major brands, including Apple, Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment, Paramount Global, and IBM, suspended their advertising on X in November.
X, typically reticent about releasing user data, has not disclosed how the December sign-ups compare to its usual metrics. Yaccarino's disclosure prompts questions about the intention behind sharing this specific figure, especially considering Elon Musk's statement in July that the platform boasted 540 million monthly users.
The advertising exodus from X was triggered when Musk endorsed a user's false claim about Jewish people fostering animosity against white individuals. This led several prominent companies to pause their ad campaigns on the platform. Musk responded by expressing dissatisfaction with the advertisers who disengaged from X. Amid these challenges, X initiated a lawsuit against Media Matters in late November, alleging defamation. Media Matters had published a report spotlighting advertisements from major companies appearing alongside X posts supporting Nazism. This legal action adds another layer of complexity to X's ongoing efforts to address content-related controversies and entice advertisers back to the platform.
Source: adapted from an article by Maya Robertson, Author of Archives for Mobile Marketing Reads.