X overhauls creator economy with Original Content Rewards
The social media giant cites misaligned incentives in the previous system, introducing stricter eligibility criteria and a focus on originality as it transitions to a new monetisation scheme in September.
X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is dismantling its existing Revenue Sharing program in favour of a new initiative titled Original Content Rewards. The company announced it will cease accepting new participants into the legacy scheme immediately, while existing creators will continue to earn payouts through September 7. Applications for the new program open on September 8, marking a significant pivot in how the platform incentivises content creation.
In a statement regarding the transition, X’s Allegra Jacchia described the previous system as having reached a point where its incentives were "misaligned." She argued that the old model encouraged creators to maximise payouts rather than produce net new content. "We could have kept adding more rules and exceptions, but ultimately the better decision was to start fresh and build a program designed from day one to reward originality," Jacchia wrote.
Under the new framework, eligibility remains tied to a subscription to an X Premium tier, but specific performance thresholds have been introduced. Creators must maintain at least 500 verified followers and generate 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within a 90-day window. The programme explicitly prioritises originality, qualifying content such as original reporting, analysis, photos, videos, and self-designed memes.
The guidelines clarify that commentary incorporating material created by others only qualifies if it contributes "meaningful original value." Conversely, the platform has defined several exclusions, stating that posts copied from another account, downloaded and re-uploaded, or reposted without meaningful transformation will not be eligible for rewards.
This structural change follows a series of previous attempts by X to reform its monetisation policies. In April, the platform reduced payments to aggregators and "clickbait" accounts, a move that prompted backlash from popular accounts profiting under the old system and led to some reversals by Musk. The current overhaul aims to address these friction points by resetting the incentive structure entirely.
The announcement comes shortly after SpaceX’s initial public offering on the Nasdaq on 11 June 2026. The IPO, priced at $135 per share, raised $75 billion and valued the company at approximately $1.77 trillion, coinciding with broader rises in US stock markets.
