Twitter’s child porn problem ruined its plans for an OnlyFans competitor
theverge.com
theverge.com
So the more alarming thing for me is that Twitter was even considering an official porn product at all. Spaces and Super Followers feel half-baked and underpromoted; Periscope and Vine are long dead. For Twitter to seriously believe it could whip up its own OnlyFans seems like a decision made out of pure desperation than gung-ho innovative spirit.
I'm also curious about how Twitter thought through the downsides of having an official porn platform. A big part of Twitter's usefulness is its adoption by brands, celebrities, and government officials and agencies. If porn became a big part of Twitter's brand association and identity -- which it would have to be to be any kind of financial lifeline -- I feel like many mainstream brands and celebrities would just move to Facebook with its more-tightly patrolled "public square"
While definitely not the most novel idea, onlyfans has proved that the business model is a cash cow. While twitter's revenues from advertising have been increasing, their operating expenses have been increasing faster. Profit isn't everything, a large user base and growth potential are valuable, but to match the EBITDA/Market Cap ratio of other major social media companies like Meta, they should be bringing in around $3-4 Billion/yr to justify their current valuation. They are no where near that point, and they're moving steadily further away. Adult content might not be the play but they need to do something to reverse the trend.