X has been actively seeking purchasers for usernames reclaimed from dormant accounts, reportedly offering them for a flat initiation fee of $50,000, as per Forbes. Elon Musk had previously declared that X, the platform known before as Twitter, would cleanse inactive accounts and hinted at repurposing unused usernames.
Forbes accessed emails revealing that X has formed a dedicated unit named the “@Handle Team” to establish a trading space for these usernames. X updated its terms this year, mandating monthly logins to keep accounts active, warning that prolonged inactivity could lead to suspension or deletion. The exact period of inactivity that triggers removal is not specified. Notably, after NPR exited the platform in the spring, Musk broached reallocating its username shortly thereafter.
Currently, acquiring a dormant username is not a service open to all; X’s official stance is that it doesn’t release such usernames.
