Elon Musk told Twitter employees on Thursday that the company needs to become more like WeChat and TikTok if it wants to reach its goal of 1 billion users.
When asked how Twitter could increase its user base and increase engagement, Musk explained that the app needs to provide more usability and make sure “people are highly entertained and informed,” according to employees who heard the comments during his first. internal hands. He compared WeChat, the super-app in China that mixes social media with payments, games and even rides.
“There is no WeChat equivalent outside of China,” Musk said after calling his phone camera 10 minutes late for the virtual meeting. “You actually live on WeChat in China. If we can emulate that with Twitter, we will be a huge success.”
He also complimented TikTok’s algorithm for not being “boring,” saying, “we could similarly refine Twitter to be interesting.” He specifically emphasized the fact that Twitter is better at breaking news. “I think Twitter could be much better at informing people about serious issues,” he said. When asked what Twitter’s success will look like in five to 10 years, Musk said the company “must contribute to a stronger, more sustainable civilization where we can better understand the nature of reality.”
During the conversation, Musk reiterated that he wants Twitter to rely more heavily on subscriptions and payments, suggesting that people should pay to get verified. At one point, he suggested the idea of an “irony” label so that someone could show the intent behind a tweet.
He also echoed previous comments about bots and spam, saying that “it must be much more expensive to have a troll army.” Tesla’s CEO previously threatened to cut the deal over the bot issue, prompting Twitter to grant him expanded data access as a show of good faith.
All in all, Musk’s comments to Twitter employees Thursday suggest he will make sweeping changes to Twitter if his offer to take the company private goes through. He said he wants to make the company more financially disciplined, but he’s not completely against “exceptional” employees who continue to work from home. He was unsure whether he would remain Twitter’s CEO after the acquisition, but made it clear that he will be deeply involved with the product and the business.
Towards the end of the conversation, Musk switched the topic to space, the age of the Earth, and possible dead civilizations on other planets, saying he has “not seen any real evidence for aliens yet.”
