Elon Musk now has the honour of being the most-followed person on Twitter, after surpassing Barack Obama’s seemingly insurmountable count on Thursday.
Musk’s surge in popularity obviously has everything to do with his tumultuous $44bn buyout of Twitter, which has shaken up the social media landscape significantly.
Since the Tesla CEO became head honcho at Twitter HQ, subscription services have become a staple in the industry, with people now paying monthly fees for verified account status and other perks.
At around midday on Thursday, Musk was up to 133.068m followers on Twitter, to trump Obama’s 133.042m.
Musk’s follower numbers have jumped by +50% during the last 12 months, as he had around 80m back in April 2022, which was the month he initiated an acquisition at $54.20 per share.
The 51-year-old claimed earlier this week that the value of Twitter has now slumped to $20m, so it’s fair to say it hasn’t been a profitable move.
Still, it has vastly enhanced his profile and brand image, even if most recent news stories associated with Twitter haven’t been flattering.
Musk is also a bit of a social media nerd, as he posts regularly, sharing “humorous” memes and replying to other users.
This stands in stark contrast to Obama, who uses Twitter mainly for uplifting and inspirational updates, such as posting his annual list of favourite movies.
It’s unlikely that Obama, or Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, who are third and fourth on the list, will usurp Musk any time soon.
