Elon Musk refutes claims of ending X creator payouts, says a YouTube-like model is needed

Two weeks ago, Nikita Bier, head of product at X, sent creators into panic mode when he responded to a frustrated user complaining about low payouts. The user, who tagged Nikita with a plea to “fix the monetization,” claimed they’d consistently earned less than their peers and were ready to provide receipts. Nikita’s reply? A curveball.

“At this point, I think creator payouts does more harm than good—and we need to off-ramp to a different system,” he wrote.

And just like that, timelines lit up with speculation: Was X about to kill its creator monetization program altogether? After all, coming from an executive, it didn’t feel like a throwaway comment.

Creators, who’ve only just begun to see X as a viable revenue platform post-Musk takeover, weren’t having it. Many interpreted the message as an admission that the platform’s grand pitch to rival YouTube and TikTok was crumbling.

But before the funeral for payouts could begin, Elon Musk himself entered the chat.

In response to Nikita’s seemingly grim take, Musk offered a rare moment of clarity and damage control with a direct rebuttal:

Translation? The creator monetization program isn’t going anywhere. But X knows it’s dropping the ball. Instead of pulling the plug, they’re admitting they still haven’t figured out how to pay people fairly or consistently. And yes, Musk name-dropping YouTube is basically him confessing: “Our system is vibes and confusion; theirs actually works.”

So… what was Nikita talking about?

To be fair, Nikita’s comment wasn’t completely off-base. It just lacked context (and maybe a PR filter). What he seems to be hinting at is a bigger rethink of how creators get paid on the platform. The payouts model has been criticized for months, with some creators with millions of impressions constantly earning pennies, others with modest accounts reporting surprise windfalls, and the requirements and metrics feeling like a moving goalpost.

Nikita suggesting an “off-ramp” to something else likely means X is considering a revamped version, not a total shutdown. But without that clarification, his statement sounded like the end.

For creators in Kenya and everywhere else, the uncertainty around payouts is more than just Twitter drama. X positioned the monetization program as a key reason to stay, post-Musk era. Kenyan creators especially have been eyeing the platform as an alternative income stream, given rising competition from TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

The problem is, if the payouts feel random—or worse, vanishing—people will simply stop bothering.

Whether Nikita jumped the gun or just spoke too freely, Elon’s response resets the narrative: the real goal is to pay creators more, and do it with actual structure. Until then, creators may need to keep a calculator, low expectations, and maybe a side hustle nearby.