Elon Musk says considerations underway to remove likes and reposts from X content

Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, revealed that his social media platform, X, is contemplating the elimination of displaying like and repost counts on posts. 

The revelation was made during Musk's address at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference on Wednesday.

Moreover, Elon Musk shared that X is on the verge of securing a money transmitter license in New York, with expectations of gaining approval in the coming months. The move aligns with the platform's broader strategy, aiming to introduce financial features, including the capability to send payments to other users.

The consideration to remove like and repost counts stems from Musk's perspective on content clarity. He expressed concerns that such metrics might clutter the user experience on X, emphasizing a potential shift towards a more streamlined presentation of posts. 

Elon Musk, who acquired X (formerly known as Twitter) for a substantial $44 billion in October 2022, has already implemented changes by adding the number of views to each post since taking over the platform.

Elon Musk, after buying Twitter, claimed that the microblogging site under his ownership would be an 'everything app,' including not just messaging but also banking and shopping.

This development comes on the heels of X's recent legal victory, where the social media giant emerged successful in a $250 million copyright lawsuit. 

A day before Musk's announcement, a US District Judge in Nashville, Tennessee, Aleta Trauger, largely dismissed the lawsuit filed by 17 music publishers. The publishers alleged copyright infringement for nearly 1,700 songs, accusing the platform of enabling unauthorized sharing of music.

Judge Trauger emphasized that the publishers could not pursue a theory of "comprehensive general liability for infringement" against X. This legal triumph positions Musk's platform to navigate the evolving landscape of social media with potential alterations in the presentation of engagement metrics.