On April 14th, Elon Musk announced an offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share. On April 25th, Twitter accepted the deal. Well, that was fast. On April 4th, 2022, Musk announced that he had purchased 9.1 per cent of Twitter. The news that the world’s richest man was now (briefly) the largest shareholder in his preferred social media platform sent the stock price soaring and many a keyboard a-typing. Musk immediately set about soliciting suggestions about ways to improve Twitter by – what else – tweeting a poll. The company responded by offering him a board seat, a move that would have restricted him to owning just 15 per cent of the company. At first, he said yes. Then he changed his mind and said no. Twitter’s board of directors then accepted Musk’s offer of $54.20 per share, or $44 billion, for the total control of the company. It was the same price he named in his initial offer to Twitter. Upon completion of the transaction, Twitter will become a private company.

YouTube’s tipping feature is now available to more creators

YouTube is expanding its Super Thanks tipping program, giving more creators another way to monetise their presence on the platform. Super Thanks, which allows fans to send creators tips directly on videos, was previously in Beta since being announced last year. Tip amounts vary between $2 and $50, and fans can include a custom comment when they send creators money. The program is now open to all eligible YouTube Partner creators in 68 countries, the company announced. YouTube has introduced a variety of ways creators can monetise interactions with fans and viewers. In addition to Super Thanks, a feature called Super Chat allows live stream audience members to pay to have their comment pinned in the accompanying chat. With another live stream tipping feature, Super Stickers, creators can make money when fans purchase cartoon character stickers. Creators make money from their videos on YouTube through ad revenue split with the platform. But some creators say that the income is unreliable, especially if advertisers pull out during controversies. The ability to monetise a fan base directly could provide a more steady income stream for creators who worry about being dependent on advertisers.