Twitter is considering selling usernames as a way to boost revenue, according to The New York Times.
The company’s engineers considered holding online auctions where people can bid on usernames, also known as pseudonyms. The potential new revenue stream has been discussed since at least December.
Last month, Musk said in a tweet that Twitter would soon start releasing 1.5 billion usernames, noting that inactive accounts would be deleted. After acquiring the social network in October, Musk signaled in a reply to a tweet that he wanted to free up accounts with desired usernames.
Twitter’s Username Usage Policy does not permit the buying and selling of usernames. Despite this rule, people have been able to buy coveted Twitter usernames on the black market for years.
The practice of selling desirable usernames has also attracted hackers in the past.
Since Musk took over Twitter for $44 billion, the billionaire has been trying to find ways to boost the company’s revenue amid falling ad revenue.
The company has made a few changes over the past few months to boost its revenue. Earlier this month, the company said it planned to lift its ban on political ads in the “coming weeks”.
