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Fewer people using Elon Musk’s X as it struggles to keep users – NBC News

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2 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

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The number of people using X daily is falling, more than a year after tech billionaire Elon Musk bought the app formerly known as Twitter.
Data from two research firms and figures published by Musk and X suggest a deteriorating situation for X by some metrics. Musk has marketed it as the world’s “town square,” but in number of users it continues to lag far behind social media rivals that focus on video, such as Instagram and TikTok.
In February, X had 27 million daily active users of its mobile app in the U.S., down 18% from a year earlier, according to Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm based in San Francisco. The U.S. user base has been flat or down every month since November 2022, the first full month of Musk’s owning the app, and in total it’s down 23% since then, Sensor Tower said.
The numbers were nearly as bad worldwide, as daily active users on the mobile app fell to 174 million in February, down 15% from a year earlier, the firm said. The worldwide user base has been flat or down every month during Musk’s tenure began except one, when it grew slightly in October and then resumed falling, according to Sensor Tower.
Other social media apps experienced modest increases in their worldwide user bases during the same period, according to the research, with Snapchat growing 8.8%, Instagram 5.3%, Facebook 1.5% and TikTok 0.5%. Those apps all experienced declines over that period in the U.S., but none was as steep as the decline on X.
X had “the most material decline in active users compared to its peers,” Abe Yousef, a senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower, wrote in a research report.
“This decline in X mobile app active users may have been driven by user frustration over flagrant content, general platform technical issues, and the growing threat of short-form video platforms,” he wrote.
Under Musk’s ownership, X has relaxed content moderation rules that previously limited hateful content, such as white supremacist imagery, and Musk has welcomed back to the platform some users whom the old Twitter management had banned. In December, he reinstated the accounts of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars website and then held a public audio-only event with Jones.
X said in a post Monday that the worldwide number is higher than what Sensor Tower data shows, with 250 million people using X every day globally. That would still be a decrease from when Musk bought the app. Musk said in 2022 that, at about the time he completed the purchase in late October, Twitter had about 258 million “monetizable daily active users,” the company’s metric at the time.
X didn’t respond to a request for additional information. It didn’t say how it defines who counts as an active user — a metric that by its name may appear straightforward but that tech platforms define differently.
On a monthly basis, X has 550 million people using it, according to the company. That figure represents growth of 1.5% since July, when Musk said X had 542 million monthly users.
Sensor Tower defines a daily active user as someone who “registered a session of at least two seconds in length, once in that day.” It says its data comes from a panel of consumers who provide access to their information in exchange for the use of other apps, including apps that track screen time.
Advertisers have also left X, Sensor Tower said, with 75 out of the top 100 U.S. advertisers on X from October 2022 having ceased ad spending on it. The exodus spiked toward the end of last year, after Musk publicly embraced an antisemitic conspiracy theory and told advertisers at a conference in New York, “Go f— yourself.”
In recent days, Musk has urged his 177 million followers on X to get more people onto the platform. On Sunday, he posted instructions for how to share posts with friends, a basic function of social media.
“Please send links from this platform to your friends who are still being misled by the legacy media!” he wrote in a separate post Sunday.
Musk has also shifted the platform’s business model from being almost entirely ad-supported to one that also has four subscription tiers, from free to a Premium+ service that starts at $16 a month.
Sensor Tower said that, according to its research, X’s revenue from in-app purchases last month was about $9.5 million, including for X subscriptions and payments to creators.
“This still remains just a fraction of revenue that the company was previously generating from advertising in its last year as a public entity,” Yousef wrote. Twitter in July 2022 reported $1.18 billion in revenue for the previous three months.
X has been helped by the lack of a clear text-based social media alternative. Threads, a competitor launched by Instagram and its parent company, Meta, had 1.6 million daily active U.S. mobile users in February, according to Sensor Tower, and 14 million worldwide.
Threads has a potential major advantage over other upstart apps because it is closely integrated with Instagram — users of Instagram can see Threads posts in their feeds and create accounts relatively easily. That has translated into a whopping disparity in downloads, according to a second research firm, Apptopia, based in Boston, which said Threads beat X in downloads worldwide by an 8-to-1 ratio in February.
Downloads were even more lopsided in the U.S. in February, with Threads getting about 16 downloads for every one download of X, Apptopia said.
“For microblogging platforms, X had dominant market share of app downloads right up until Threads launched,” Tom Grant, vice president of research at Apptopia, wrote in an email. “That turned market share completely on its head.”
There were 2.9 million downloads of X in the U.S. in February, up 14% from a year earlier but still below the 3.7 million in October 2022, the month Musk bought the company, according to Apptopia. Threads had 46.2 million downloads last month, Apptopia said.
Threads has ranked highly in some app store rankings lately, topping Apple’s chart for free apps Sunday and staying in the Top 4 for most of this week. X ranked No. 34 on the Apple app store Sunday and No. 30 on Friday. On Friday, Threads ranked No. 7 in Google’s Play store and X ranked No. 43.
But so far, the downloads haven’t translated into sustained growth for Threads, according to Sensor Tower. Another X competitor, Bluesky, was even smaller, with 195,000 U.S. daily active mobile users in February, according to the research firm.
In its own data summary published Monday, X said that “1.7 million people join X every day.” That number is roughly triple the number of daily X downloads worldwide, according to Apptopia, and it suggests that X is growing at a rate of nearly 10% per month — far faster than any other source indicates.
David Ingram covers tech for NBC News.
© 2024 NBC UNIVERSAL

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Tech News

Exploring Startup Opportunities In Alternative Fuel Technology – Forbes

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

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In this article, we explore four startup opportunities in alternative fuel technology, ranging from … [+] electric vehicle charging infrastructure to biofuels, highlighting their potential for innovation and market disruption.
In the context of the ever-growing energy consumption demands of our global civilization, especially bearing in mind the rising living standards in some of the most populous areas in Asia and Africa, combined with the environmental impact of the energy sector, innovations in energy and fuel technology are likely some of the most important and impactful technological developments to look forward to in the coming decades.
With this in mind, if you are a startup founder looking to change the world for the better alternative fuel technology is a promising field to focus your energy on. Startups at the forefront of this movement have the opportunity to revolutionize the transportation sector and accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Моreover, because of the environmental impact of such technologies finding funding for your startup could be easier because of the availability of public funding for green technologies in a generally favorable regulatory environment.
In this article, we’ll explore four startup opportunities in alternative fuel technology, ranging from electric vehicle charging infrastructure to biofuels, highlighting their potential for innovation and market disruption.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as consumers and governments prioritize cleaner transportation options. However, the widespread adoption of EVs hinges on the availability of reliable and convenient charging infrastructure.
Startups in this space can focus on developing innovative solutions such as fast-charging stations, wireless charging technology, and smart grid integration. For example, companies like ChargePoint and EVgo are pioneering the development of EV charging networks across the globe, catering to the growing demand for electric mobility.
The opportunity for startups lies in addressing key challenges such as scalability, interoperability, and user experience. By leveraging advanced technologies and strategic partnerships, startups can play a vital role in expanding EV charging infrastructure and accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles.
Battery technology is a critical component of alternative fuel technology, enabling energy storage for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and portable electronics. In fact, energy storage technology is becoming a choke-point for most of the mass adoption and practical feasibility of a lot of EV and alternative energy solutions.
Startups in this space can focus on developing advanced battery chemistries, materials, and manufacturing processes to improve performance, safety, and cost-effectiveness. For example, companies like Tesla and Panasonic are leading the charge in lithium-ion battery production, driving down costs and improving energy density.
The demand for high-performance batteries is expected to surge as electric vehicles and renewable energy installations continue to grow. Startups that can innovate in areas such as solid-state batteries, silicon-anode technology, and battery recycling have the potential to disrupt the market and capture significant market share. Moreover, advancements in battery technology can unlock new applications such as grid-scale energy storage and electric aviation, further expanding the market opportunity for startups.
Hydrogen fuel cells offer a promising alternative to traditional combustion engines, providing zero-emission power for various applications, including vehicles, drones, and stationary power systems. Startups in this space can focus on developing innovative solutions for hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and fuel cell technology.
For example, companies like Ballard Power Systems and Plug Power are leading the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell technology for transportation and industrial applications.
The scalability and versatility of hydrogen fuel cells present a compelling opportunity for startups to drive innovation and market penetration. By overcoming technical challenges such as cost, efficiency, and infrastructure, startups can position themselves as key players in a possible transition to a hydrogen-based economy. Additionally, government incentives and industry partnerships can provide critical support for startups seeking to capitalize on the growing demand for clean energy solutions.
Biofuels offer a renewable alternative to conventional fossil fuels, derived from organic sources such as biomass, algae, waste materials, or agricultural residues. Startups in this space can focus on developing sustainable biofuel production processes that minimize environmental impact and maximize energy efficiency.
For example, companies like Renewable Energy Group and Gevo are leveraging advanced biotechnology and feedstock optimization to produce low-carbon biofuels for transportation and heating applications among others.
The abundance of organic feedstocks and the potential for carbon neutrality make biofuels an attractive option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. Startups that can innovate in biofuel production, distribution, and certification have the opportunity to disrupt traditional energy markets and drive the transition to a more sustainable energy future. Additionally, government mandates and corporate sustainability initiatives create a favorable regulatory environment for biofuel startups to thrive.

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Tech News

GHSP Leverages Allegro MicroSystems' Technology to Shift – GlobeNewswire

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

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April 30, 2024 10:00 ET | Source: Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. Allegro MicroSystems, Inc.
MANCHESTER, N.H., April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. (“Allegro”) (Nasdaq: ALGM) a global leader in power and sensing semiconductor technology for motion control and energy efficient-system is pleased to announce, that GHSP, a global provider of mechanical and electromechanical systems and portfolio company of JSJ Corporation, is closely collaborating with and has adopted Allegro’s best-in-class gate driver and vehicle sensor technology for its new eVibe vibration enhancement system.

In the rapidly evolving world of xEV technology, there is a new class of xEV enthusiasts who crave a more immersive motoring experience. GHSP’s eVibe system transforms xEV driving by providing drivers with the noise and vibrations that mimic the familiar feel and sounds of a traditional internal combustion engine. At the heart of this next-level technology, is Allegro’s A89500 motor driver and APS12215 Hall-effect latch, which provide best-in-class performance and switching capabilities.
“From the beginning, our challenge has always been to create a solution that would address a unique and growing xEV market segment,” said Dan Dawiedczyk, President of GHSP. “We are excited to collaborate and combine our industry experience and expertise, to help bring our vision to life. Together, Allegro and GHSP are developing groundbreaking innovations. We look forward to a winning partnership for many years to come.”
Helping to elevate the end product, Allegro’s A89500 motor driver allows for high power density and fast switching to help provide instant response and feel. Its transient robustness and wide input voltage range make it a standout solution in the market. The APS12215 Hall-effect latch, on the other hand, provides high-temperature performance and stable switching capabilities, enabling the eVibe system to precisely track and monitor the position of the motors’ unbalanced weights, ultimately leading to a more realistic vibration experience. The eVibe technology allows several applications including ADAS, ICE emulation, or high performance.
“For more than a decade, Allegro has worked closely with market-leading automotive partners to develop innovative solutions that help shift the future of driving, power and performance in electric vehicles,” said Suman Narayan, Allegro’s Senior Vice President, Products. “Our latest collaboration highlights a new, growing market segment and demand for Allegro’s technology. We value GHSP’s automotive expertise and look forward to our continued partnership as we develop solutions that drive innovation.”
The impact of eVibe extends beyond just the driving experience. It represents a shift towards the future of xEV technology and the way owners engage with their vehicles. From mimicking an idle feel to simulated engine throttle and high-speed gear shifts via premium vibration indicators, GHSP’s technology is providing drivers with a more immersive and connected drive. This innovation has the potential to reshape the xEV market, catering to a wider range of custom options and individual customer preferences, while also helping to further the adoption of electric vehicles.
On Thursday, May 2, GHSP and Allegro will host a virtual round table discussing “The Evolution of eVibe with GHSP and Allegro MicroSystems.” To learn more and register for this event please visit: https://allegromicro.com/en/applications/automotive
For more information about the eVibe system please visit: https://www.ghsp.com/evibe
About Allegro MicroSystems
Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. is a leading global designer, developer, fabless manufacturer and marketer of sensor integrated circuits (“ICs”) and application-specific analog power ICs enabling emerging technologies in the automotive and industrial markets. Allegro’s diverse product portfolio provides efficient and reliable solutions for the electrification of vehicles, automotive ADAS safety features, automation for Industry 4.0 and power-saving technologies for data centers and clean energy applications. For additional information, please visit https://www.allegromicro.com/en/.
About GHSP
GHSP is a privately owned company based in Grand Haven, Mich., that specializes in the design and manufacturing of innovative control systems and technology solutions primarily for the automobile and high-end appliance industries. Founded in 1924, GHSP has locations in North America, Europe and Asia. GHSP is a portfolio business within JSJ Corporation, a growth firm with global manufacturing, distribution and service businesses that focus on highly technical skills to deliver engineered solutions. Learn more at GHSP.com and JSJcorp.com.
Allegro Contact:
Laura Kozikowski
Sr. Director of Global Marketing and Corporate Communications
[email protected]
GHSP Contact:
Liz Hoffswell
Marketing & Communication Leader
[email protected]