Twitter, controlled by Elon Musk, has come under fire for allegedly failing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in severance to laid-off employees.
Meanwhile, the company has recently distributed millions of dollars to prominent Twitter users, including controversial figures such as right-wing personality Andrew Tate and left-leaning twin brothers Ed and Brian Krassenstein.
Twitter announced its ad-revenue sharing program for creators on Thursday, initially offering it on an invitation-only basis. Under this program, eligible creators will receive a portion of the ad revenue generated from replies to their posts. Twitter stated that this initiative is part of its effort to enable people to earn a living directly on the platform.
Elon Musk, who wields significant influence over Twitter, had previously pledged to allocate $5 million towards ad-sharing payouts to creators. Musk himself is eligible to receive a share of the revenue but announced that he would contribute his portion to the creator payout pool.
The program was launched for an initial group of invitees, and Twitter plans to introduce an application process for ads revenue sharing in the near future.
Among the beneficiaries of Twitter's payout pool was Andrew Tate, who disclosed receiving $20,379 through the new program. Tate stated that every penny of the proceeds would be directed towards his Tate Pledge charity initiatives. Tate, a former professional kickboxer, has a history of controversial statements, including a tweet suggesting that women should bear some responsibility for being raped. He has amassed a following of 7.1 million on Twitter and had his account banned in 2017 before being reinstated following Musk's acquisition of the platform.
The Krassenstein brothers, Brian received $24,305 and Ed received $24,877 from Twitter. They rose to prominence on the platform with their vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump. Ed Krassenstein humorously remarked that he would shift his focus from promoting border crossings to endorsing Tesla vehicles. The Krassensteins were previously banned from Twitter in 2019 for allegedly utilizing fake accounts to expand their reach, but their accounts were reinstated in December 2020 after Musk assumed control of the company.
Additional Twitter users who disclosed receiving ad-revenue payouts included podcaster and political commentator Benny Johnson who received $9,546, writer Ashley St. Clair from the political satire site Babylon Bee who received $7,153, and an anonymous account known as End Wokeness who received $10,419.
Musk clarified that Twitter's ad-revenue sharing is not solely based on impressions but also takes into account the number of ads displayed to other verified users.
To be considered eligible for ad-revenue sharing, creators must be Twitter Blue subscribers or affiliated with a verified organization. They must have accumulated at least 5 million impressions on their posts for each of the past three months and pass a human review to comply with Twitter's creator monetization standards.
Twitter's Creator Ads Revenue Sharing program will be available in all countries where Stripe, a financial technology company, supports payouts, according to the company's statement.
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