Twitter is weighing whether to auction off inactive Twitter handles to raise more money, report says
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- Twitter is considering auctioning off dormant Twitter usernames in an effort to raise funds, according to the NYT.
- Last month, Elon Musk said he planned to delete 1.5 billion inactive accounts and free up "name space."
- Insider previously reported that some people go to extreme lengths to get a unique social media username.
Twitter executives are reportedly looking for creative ways to raise funds for the embattled company.
The social media platform is weighing the possibility of auctioning off Twitter handles from dormant accounts, according to the New York Times, which cited two people with knowledge of the plan.
Conversations about these online username auctions have been held since last month, according to the paper.
Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk said last month that he planned to delete 1.5 billion inactive accounts from the site, freeing up "name space," though he did not mention plans to sell the usernames at the time.
The potential plan comes as Twitter tries to grasp new ways of generating revenue after Musk's $44 billion purchase of Twitter saddled the company with mounting interest payments. The company slashed its headcount by 50% late last year and began charging $8 monthly for its "Twitter Blue" verification system.
Despite those cost-cutting measures, Musk has warned that bankruptcy is not out of the question.
While it's unlikely that most of Twitter's dormant accounts have usernames desirable enough to rake in big bucks for the company, Insider has previously reported that some people are willing to go to extreme lengths to obtain a unique social media handle, sometimes harassing specific people in an attempt to get those people to surrender their usernames.