Musk's X Faces Unprecedented Download Slump

Following a series of controversial moves by X owner Elon Musk, the company is experiencing its lowest download rates in over a decade.

What Happened: The platform X has seen a significant dip in app downloads, with a nearly 30% decrease since July, when Musk decided to rename the company, Insider reported.

The current drop is 18% less compared to the same period last year, before Musk's acquisition worth $44 billion. Interest in the app has plummeted to one of its lowest points since before it became a public entity in 2013, according to Insider.

The platform, which has added between 15 million and 30 million users each month since 2011, only managed to attract 10 million users between August and September. 

Also Read: Elon Musk's Massive 'X' Logo Atop Twitter's San Francisco Headquarters Prompts Investigation And Controversy

Insider referenced data from app performance tracker Apptopia, which indicated a global decline in X downloads, including in major markets such as the U.S., U.K. and Japan.

X's traffic has also seen a reduction, with a 10% global decrease and a 15% fall in the U.S. in August year-over-year, according to Similarweb. 

The daily user count dropped to 249 million in September, a decrease of about 2% since July, despite Musk's ambitious target of amassing 1 billion users by 2024. According to Insider, X's user base has been steadily declining since late May.

Musk has been criticized for encouraging misinformation and allowing a surge of antisemitic content on the platform. Recent changes that favor posts from paid subscribers have also stirred controversy.

Now Read: Elon Musk Amused By 'Next-Level' Interaction With User Sporting Identical Voice On X

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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