A famous economist claims that X Money could beat Bitcoin on a key point

The author of the famous Black Swan reignites the debate about the future of money. As the launch of X Money approaches, Nassim Taleb publicly praises Elon Musk’s initiative and does not hesitate to compare it to Bitcoin. For him, this project could embody a much more pragmatic form of private money.

Taleb sees in X Money a new generation of private money

The tweet from Elon Musk was enough to reignite the debate. However, it was Nassim Taleb’s reaction that really caught attention.

Yesterday, the author of the Black Swan publicly expressed support for X Money, whose early access launch is scheduled for April. On X, the economist and risk philosopher stated that this initiative was “far smarter than Bitcoin,” a comparison that immediately ignited the crypto community.

For Taleb, X Money goes far beyond a simple payment feature grafted onto a social network. He sees it as a concrete experiment of the private currencies concept, an idea he has long defended. 

In this vision, the state should not hold the monopoly on monetary issuance. Companies should be able to offer their own payment instruments and let the market decide.

This principle has a name: monetary competition. If several players develop their own systems, users will naturally adopt the one that offers the best balance between stability, accessibility, and everyday practicality.

In this race, X Money starts with serious assets. The service relies on an already massive user base, as well as X Payments, its financial subsidiary authorized to operate in more than 40 US states. A foundation that could allow it to gain ground much faster than any fintech launched from scratch.

The announcement also comes a few days after Musk publicly confirmed the release of X Money for April, a major step in his ambition to transform X into a financial super-app.

Bitcoin vs Musk’s financial pragmatism

The comparison with Bitcoin is unsurprising. For several years, Nassim Taleb has targeted the leading crypto for one specific reason: its volatility.

For him, a currency worthy of the name must above all allow price fixing and facilitate everyday exchanges. With such brutal price swings, Bitcoin struggles to fulfill this role. Taleb believes it has gradually turned into a speculative asset rather than an operational currency.

X Money, on the other hand, seems designed for concrete use. The first information includes several expected features:

• instant money transfers between users;
• bank deposits integrated into the platform;
• physical or virtual debit cards.

If these elements are confirmed at launch, X Money would look less like a crypto wallet and more like a hybrid financial account, somewhere between a social network, fintech, and traditional bank.

In short, Taleb’s support gives this project an intellectual endorsement few would have anticipated. However, the stated ambitions will have to withstand practical testing. If the April launch delivers on its promises, Musk will have achieved something remarkable: transforming a social network into a credible financial platform without needing the blockchain.