Elon Musk signals higher creator payouts on X, may surpass YouTube

Elon Musk has indicated that X may raise payouts for content creators, potentially to levels higher than YouTube, as part of a broader effort to retain original and authoritative content on the platform.

The signal followed public feedback from users who stated that platforms failing to compensate creators fairly risk losing relevance. Musk agreed with the view and stated that platforms paying creators are more likely to retain authoritative content, particularly as large language models increasingly absorb and reproduce online material.

In one such post on X, a user stated that higher payouts made sense as platforms that actually pay would be the only ones left with authoritative content once large language models consume the rest of the internet’s material. Musk responded by stating that the platform should proceed with higher payouts while rigorously enforcing measures to prevent gaming of the system.

Ok, let’s do it, but rigorously enforcing no gaming of the system @nikitabier

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2025

That response is being viewed as an indication of upcoming changes to X’s monetisation framework, with the core approach centred on increasing creator payments while tightening controls.

X currently offers creator payouts linked to engagement and advertising revenue share. Musk’s comments suggest these payments could be increased and may overtake YouTube in certain categories.

At the same time, Musk emphasised stricter enforcement, noting concerns that higher payouts could encourage abuse, including artificial engagement, bot-driven amplification and coordinated manipulation.

The potential changes come as digital platforms compete to retain original, human-created content, at a time when AI-generated material is becoming easier to produce and harder to distinguish.

For creators, higher payouts could make X a more financially viable platform, while for X, the strategy appears aimed at keeping valuable content within its ecosystem rather than allowing it to migrate elsewhere.