What lies ahead for X after Elon Musk's year-long reign?

One year ago, Elon Musk acquired Twitter and made a memorable entrance to its headquarters by carrying a sink. This was just the beginning of a series of unpredictable changes, including the rebranding of the company to X. Despite facing competition and declining user metrics, X has managed to stay afloat. However, advertisers are hesitant and user engagement has decreased. The exact number of X users is unknown because the company does not release this information, but analytics firms suggest that its usage has declined. David Carr from SimilarWeb stated that all metrics have decreased compared to the previous year. Ross Gerber, an investor in Twitter, expressed his belief that the platform is dying and in need of saving. Many prominent figures, including Elton John and Gigi Hadid, have left the platform in the past year. Former journalist Madeleine Dunne also shared her concerns about trust and engagement on X. Mr. Musk's cost-cutting measures, which involved laying off staff, have impacted the employees. Meanwhile, X is struggling to make money and meet expenses. Despite introducing subscription-based features, X is heavily reliant on advertising revenue, which is decreasing. The platform has always faced challenges in achieving profitability, leading Mr. Musk to acknowledge the critical issue. The appointment of Linda Yaccarino as X CEO was seen as a positive step, but some argue that she has been limited to pursuing quick revenue boosts rather than innovating. Mr. Musk envisions X as more than just a social media platform; he wants it to become an all-encompassing app. However, the specifics of this expansion plan remain undisclosed. Diversification efforts have been seen through the streaming of computer games and the recent launch of an audio and video calls service. Furthermore, Mr. Musk has banking plans for X, aiming to generate significant revenue from its payments business. Some investors initially trusted Mr. Musk's vision for X but are now puzzled by his plans. The platform continues to face challenges in moderating extreme content, with reports showing that it still hosts a substantial amount of hateful posts. Despite the challenges, Mr. Musk remains ambitious about X's potential as humanity's collective consciousness.