Elon Musk’s social media platform X has launched a new username marketplace that allows paying users to claim or purchase inactive and highly sought-after profile names.
The feature is currently available only to Premium Business and Premium+ subscribers, giving them early access to a pool of dormant or unused handles.
According to X, the marketplace offers two types of usernames: priority and rare. Priority usernames — often full names, multi-word phrases, or alphanumeric combinations — can be requested free of charge, with responses expected within three days. However, users who cancel or downgrade their subscriptions will lose these usernames, reverting to their original handles.
Rare usernames, such as @Tom or @Pizza, are much shorter and more desirable. These will be available either through invitation-only offers from X or via a public application process. Once purchased, rare usernames remain with the user even if their premium subscription ends.
This follows Musk’s earlier comments that inactive account names would be released to new users. Musk bought Twitter nearly three years ago for $44 billion before rebranding it as X, part of his broader plan to turn the platform into a global “everything app.”
