X’s New Marketplace Sparks Ownership Concerns

On X, a simple pseudonym can now be traded at a high price. Elon Musk’s platform has just launched a marketplace dedicated to the sale of inactive usernames, with prices reaching one million dollars for the most sought-after. Reserved for Premium subscribers, this initiative transforms digital identity into a monetizable asset.

An official marketplace for inactive usernames

X has officially launched its Handle Marketplace, a platform accessible only to Premium Plus and Business subscribers, while Elon Musk has just edited Grokipedia. It allows claiming or buying inactive usernames under two well-defined statuses.

Handles are coming…

Join the waitlist at https://t.co/78v6LhGZiz pic.twitter.com/XOa9b2lfkN

— Handle Marketplace (@XHandles) October 19, 2025

This system marks a break with the past where bots grabbed handles as soon as they were released. Now, everything happens under X’s control, with a clear hierarchy of access.

Here is how the system is structured :

• Priority Handles : these include classic, alphanumeric, or multi-word names like @JohnSmith or @Lisa35. They are free on request, but only for Premium subscribers. The handle is revoked after 30 days if the subscription is canceled. It is therefore a rental model, not ownership.

• Rare Handles : very short or generic handles (e.g., @Pizza, @Tom, @One), considered culturally significant. They are priced between $2,500 and over $1 million, based on demand estimated by X. These handles are purchased permanently. They remain linked to the account even after subscription cancellation. X specifies : “usernames acquired through the marketplace cannot be transferred,” prohibiting any resale or transfer.

By enforcing closed access, opaque pricing, and a formal ban on external resale, X aims to eliminate unofficial username sales channels and regain full control over the distribution of these rare digital resources. The pseudonym thus becomes a controlled but non-transferable asset, within a framework fully managed by the platform itself.

A new market for digital identity on X ?

Beyond the commercial structuring, this new feature responds to a profitability logic, in a context where X’s advertising revenues have sharply eroded since the acquisition by Elon Musk.

Indeed, the company seeks to convert the scarcity of inactive identifiers into financial leverage, especially with brands, influencers, or collectors. The approach is not new. As early as 2023, Musk mentioned the release of 1.5 billion inactive usernames, and by November of the same year, some handles were offered for $50,000. In April 2025, researchers even reported that verified organizations could submit offers starting from $10,000 to obtain a coveted handle.

However, this commercial logic already triggers strong criticism. Several publicized cases raise the question of arbitrariness in the redistribution of these identifiers. In 2023, the username @x was withdrawn without compensation from photographer Gene X Hwang, simply notified that the company claimed ownership.

Similarly, the handle @Cameron, originally held for over a decade by an active user in the crypto sphere, was assigned without notice to Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini. “I literally did nothing wrong on this platform, and it’s always the little guy who pays,” said the dispossessed user. These decisions, made without clear contestation procedure, raise concerns about respect for the rights of historic users.

Such an initiative could foreshadow a new form of digital hierarchy, where the value of a pseudonym depends on its visibility, simplicity, or branding potential. The platform retains full decision-making power, with no transparency on account deactivation criteria or price-setting mechanisms.

While this system appeals to certain investors or brands seeking visibility, it reinforces a logic of centralization and questions the sustainability of digital ownership in an environment controlled by a single entity. For web3 ecosystem observers, the pseudonym might be the next NFT, but without the blockchain to guarantee ownership.