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Twitter announced it would shut off free access to its API on February 9th and start charging outside developers and other companies whose apps and software need access to its services. It will launch a "paid basic tier" instead, but the company has yet to reveal how much it would cost.
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Twitter has been experimenting with new ways to make more money ever since Elon Musk took the helm. Previously, Twitter has locked out third-party programs like Tweetbot and Twitterrific from its API. Users and developers have also complained about some third-party apps becoming unusable.
Why it matters
Twitter got big in part by offering its code and data as infrastructure to others for user authentication, news aggregation, and other kinds of third-party uses — but in the Elon Musk era, the company's top priority is revenue. The billionaire is trying to turn Twitter into a profitable venture in a bid to recoup the investment he’s made under his gargantuan $44 billion purchase of the company.
