AdminShortly after Twitter announced it would start charging developers for the use of its API, the company’s CEO Elon Musk is somewhat evasive of this decision. Over the weekend, Musk tweeted this responding to some reviews (opens in a new tab)Twitter will offer a new “lightweight write-only API for bots” as long as it provides “good content that’s free.”
The the original plan was to charge users around $100 a month to use the API, ostensibly to stop “cheater bots and opinion manipulators” from abusing the software (and presumably earn some money to pay off the platform’s massive debts). In response, there was a huge outcry from users who claimed that the new rules would kill many useful bots and fun account tricks due to high costs, up to $3,400 per year, according to one developer. (opens in a new tab)
Who knows how this latest Twitter saga will ultimately play out as a lot of things about the platform remain unsettled at this point. But if Musk upholds this new decision, your favorite Twitter account may still exist, and it’s all thanks to Pepito the cat.
Good content
Among all the feedback on this API debacle, the only post that Musk responded to directly is one of @PepitoTheCat (opens in a new tab). The account’s maintainer argued that the new rules could kill him, restoring his place in Twitter history (he joined more than a decade ago) and that he was posting “high quality content with a lot of commitment”.
Although the content in question is nothing more than the titular Pepito entering and leaving the house through a small cat door, it seems to have been enough to make Musk think twice about changing the rules. In addition, the impulsive CEO suggests that verified Twitter users have access to an API for “good content” similar to @PepitoTheCat, but does not elaborate further.
While it may seem a little silly to focus so much on the tricks account, it puts into question what Musk considers “good satisfaction” in his eyes. The fact that @PepitoTheCat answered directly i not a developer trying (opens in a new tab) over how the changes would destroy research and activist projects on the platform points to his thought process.
This could mean that content related to animals or something more like milquetoast is considered good, while accounts like @ElonJet are considered bad even though they are not doing anything illegal. It’s hard to read because of how often Musk flips through flip-flops about Twitter’s rules. In addition to the API, it had a platform ban journalists and links to competing social networks; both cases were met with an avalanche of opposition.
Lots of questions
We still have a lot of questions, for example, what is the “write-only lightweight API” and how does it compare to the paid version? It is still scheduled to launch on February 9. Will free bots created under the new rules be moderated? This can be a challenge as the company has laid off a large part of its employees global moderation team (opens in a new tab).
We would have asked Twitter for clarification, but the platform has no way for the press to contact them directly other than tweeting Elon Musk directly – which we did. If Musk ever responds, this story will be updated at a later date.
If you’re still looking for this fix on social media, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list best twitter alternatives.
