Elon Musk’s X platform is intensifying efforts to sell unused usernames, following a program hinted at by the billionaire himself.
The platform is actively seeking buyers for usernames reclaimed from inactive accounts, and in some cases, it has sent email offers to potential buyers, requesting a fixed fee of $50,000 to initiate the purchase process, as reported by Forbes.
These emails were sent by active employees of X, with the messages noting that the company had previously updated its username guidelines, operations, and fees.
X now has an in-house team called the “Handle Team,” which has begun working in the user account name marketplace, purchasing usernames that were abandoned by their original registrants, according to emails reviewed by Forbes.
This year, X changed its policy to require users to log in every 30 days to remain active, or risk having their accounts suspended or permanently removed if a significant period passes without login.
The exact duration considered a “significant period” without login, as defined by the platform for account removal, remains unclear.
Rumors about such a program being put into action have circulated for months. In early November 2022, Elon Musk announced his intention to reclaim numerous usernames that were acquired by robots in the coming month.
The following month, X employees discussed the possibility of selling usernames, as reported in a January article by The New York Times.
Musk indicated that he planned to reclaim approximately 1.5 billion usernames.
It’s worth noting that in May, Elon Musk revealed that X had begun removing inactive accounts and hinted at plans to repurpose abandoned usernames.
However, X’s published username policy, available on its website, currently states that it cannot provide inactive usernames.
