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People are leaving X, previously known as Twitter, in significant numbers, attributing their departures to the platform’s toxic environment and new terms of service that raise privacy concerns.
A primary factor driving users to delete X is the recent update to its terms of service, which took effect on November 15. Under these new rules, all users are required to consent to having their posts utilised for artificial intelligence training, including for X’s own AI service, Grok. Previously, users had the option to opt out of this arrangement.
Additionally, many users have expressed frustration with the platform’s increasingly toxic content. Following the U.S. election on November 5, X witnessed its largest user exodus since Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022.
Who Has Already Left X and Why?
Notable organisations such as Best Buy, Target, and NPR have ceased their use of X. Major brands like Disney, Apple, and IBM have also paused their advertising on the platform after discovering their ads were appearing alongside extremist material.
The Guardian has declared it will no longer share content on X due to the “often disturbing content” prevalent on the site.
Furthermore, concerns about Musk’s potential influence have also been raised, particularly with his upcoming role in President Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency.
Other Options
While Threads has a substantial user base, it is owned by Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, which may deter privacy-conscious individuals.
Bluesky presents another promising alternative. The emerging platform recently reported a surge of 1 million new users in just one week, bringing its total user count to over 15 million. However, it still falls short compared to X’s estimated 600 million users.
Bluesky was co-founded by Jack Dorsey and aims to be a refined version of Twitter. Meanwhile, Mastodon is another option but requires more time to grow its user base.
If you’re contemplating leaving X but aren’t ready to fully commit yet, you can deactivate your account temporarily. To permanently delete your account, you must first deactivate it and will have 30 days before it is permanently removed.