Overview

• In an Oct. 16 post, Elon Musk said X is underpaying creators and misallocating revenue, adding that YouTube does a much better job.
• The exchange was triggered when product head Nikita Bier flagged upcoming upgrades, prompting creator Peter Duan to report being consistently underpaid.
• Bier argued that creator payouts do more harm than good and suggested off‑ramping to a different system, a position Musk publicly rejected.
• Creators have reported volatile earnings and unclear criteria since X launched its ad revenue-sharing program in 2023 for Premium users who meet engagement thresholds.
• Reports describe accounts with millions of impressions earning only a few hundred dollars, and Musk has not detailed a fix despite signaling improvements and pointing to YouTube’s more predictable model.