The billionaire and owner of X, Elon Musk, announced that Xchat, a call and messaging platform considered a possible WhatsApp competitor, will begin to be implemented in X this week with functions such as messages that disappear and the ability to send “any type of file”, while Musk takes another step towards converting X into the so -called “application for everything”.
Key data
Musk announced in an X post on Monday morning that Xchat will begin to be implemented for X users “this week”, unless there is a problem.
The XChat update will expand the direct messaging function, a feature that dates back to the predecessor of X, Twitter, which according to MUSK will include encryption, file exchange, messages that disappear and audio telephone calls that can be performed without a phone number.
Some X users who pay the premium subscription of the platform have already been able to access Xchat, TechCrunch reported.
Musk said the function will use “bitcoin” encryption, which generated some confusion since Bitcoin does not use encryption, but uses cryptography and digital signatures for security, according to TechCrunch.
Musk has previously published that he wants the direct messages in X to be looked like the signal encryption messaging platform to increase privacy, and has often attacked WhatsApp, owned by Meta, a possible Xchat competitor, for not being safe.
How is Musk to X becoming an “application for everything”?
Before buying Twitter in October 2022, Musk published: “Buying Twitter promotes the creation of X, the app for everything”, which he and the executive director of X, Linda Yaccarino, continue to affirm that it is their vision for the platform. Musk has imagined that X will combine the functions of many different apps, including financial services. In January, he claimed to have reached an agreement with Visa, through which X users may make payments with each other similar to money transfer apps such as Zelle or Venmo. X also offers a chatbot with AI, Grok. The vision of an “app for everything” could be inspired by similar Chinese platforms, such as Wechat, which allows users to perform mobile banking operations, play, use social networks and buy online, among other activities.
Forbes assessment
Musk is the richest person in the world, with a net worth of 418.3 billion dollars, according to Forbes estimates. It has approximately 12% of Tesla, a company that co -founded, and 42% of Spacex. Musk acquired Twitter in an operation of 44,000 million dollars in October 2022, before renamed the platform as X.
This article was originally published by Forbes Us.
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