X is shutting down its revenue-sharing program and replacing it with the Original Content Rewards Program, a move that could finally let independent creators earn a living on their own terms instead of gaming algorithms or recycling garbage from TikTok.
The old system, which closes to new applicants immediately and sunsets entirely on September 7, rewarded raw engagement — which meant it rewarded the loudest, most sensational, and often most dishonest posts. Gizmodo noted the program incentivized "various kinds of naughtiness," including spreading hoaxes and lying for clicks. Under the new rules, slapping a caption on someone else's video or cross-posting content from other platforms won't earn you a dime. X is defining "original content" as users' own writing, reporting, photos, videos, memes, and illustrations — or adding "meaningful commentary or analysis" to others' posts, according to Engadget.
This is a direct shot at the engagement-farming economy that has choked timelines with recycled spam. Gizmodo, which framed the overhaul as promising but overdue, reported that X's list of disqualifying content includes material that is "misleading or false," "inappropriate, sexually explicit, or potentially harmful to viewers," copied from other users, transferred from other platforms, or contains "coaching on monetization." The question is who decides what counts as "misleading" — the same platform that once only de-monetized false posts after they accumulated enough virality to earn a Community Note?
To qualify, creators need a Premium, Premium+, or Premium Business subscription, at least 500 verified followers, and 500,000 Home timeline views from verified users in the last 90 days. They must be 18 or older and live in an eligible country. Current revenue-sharing participants must reapply when the new program opens on September 8. Engadget reported that only impressions from Premium users will count toward payouts — meaning the verified user base becomes both the audience and the revenue pool.
The old program was troubled from the start. X initially required 15 million impressions in three months for eligibility, then dropped it to 5 million — always structuring rewards around virality, not value. Past fixes included banning AI-generated fake war footage without disclosure and cracking down on users pretending to be Americans, Gizmodo reported. But patching a broken system only went so far.
While YouTube, Facebook, and the rest of Big Tech demonetize creators who step outside approved narratives, X is attempting to build a parallel economy where original voices get paid. Whether "originality" becomes a fair standard — or just another excuse for gatekeeping — is the open question.
