Thousands of creators on X say they have suddenly lost access to the platform's revenue sharing programme after the company rolled out stricter monetisation standards aimed at rewarding original content and reducing spam.
The move has triggered widespread complaints from users who say their accounts generated hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of impressions but were still removed from the programme or had their earnings paused.
Many affected creators shared screenshots showing notifications that read "Below Minimum Earnings," leaving them confused about how their accounts no longer qualified for payouts after months of consistent performance.
The latest changes mark one of the biggest shakeups to X's creator economy since the platform introduced ad revenue sharing under Elon Musk. At the time, the programme attracted thousands of users hoping to earn an income from posting on the platform. Many creators invested heavily in producing daily content, building audiences and increasing engagement with the expectation that strong performance would translate into regular monthly payouts.
That model now appears to be changing.
Creators say impressions alone are no longer enough to earn money. Accounts that relied on reposts, repetitive topics, engagement farming or copied content appear to be among those hardest hit as X pushes for more original posts and meaningful conversations.
The company has spent months trying to reduce spam across the platform. Fake engagement, automated replies and accounts posting the same viral content repeatedly have become common complaints among users. Critics argued that many accounts were earning revenue without creating original material, making the monetisation programme increasingly difficult to sustain.
The latest crackdown appears to be X's answer to that criticism.
Several creators who lost access insist they followed the platform's rules and believe the new system lacks transparency. Some say they were never told which posts violated the updated standards or what they needed to change to regain eligibility.
Others say the timing has been frustrating because their audiences continue to grow, yet their earnings have disappeared overnight.
The uncertainty has fuelled debate across X, with users questioning whether the platform is quietly raising the threshold for payouts or introducing new quality checks that are not fully explained.
Some creators support the changes, arguing that the programme had become flooded with low effort accounts posting recycled videos, copied tweets and bait designed solely to collect impressions.
They believe rewarding original creators will improve the quality of content users see every day.
Others disagree.
They argue that smaller creators are paying the biggest price while larger verified accounts continue earning even when posting similar material. Some believe the updated system favours established creators with loyal subscriber bases and premium engagement, making it much harder for newer accounts to break into the programme.
For many independent creators, revenue from X had become more than just a bonus.
Some used the monthly payouts to cover internet costs, pay editors, buy equipment or support full time content creation. Losing that income has left many searching for other ways to monetise their audiences.
The changes have also renewed calls for X to provide clearer guidelines on how creator earnings are calculated. Users say the platform should explain what qualifies as original content, how engagement is measured and why accounts are removed without detailed feedback.
At the centre of the debate is a simple question that many creators say remains unanswered.
If millions of impressions no longer guarantee revenue, what exactly does?
X has not disclosed how many creators have been removed or paused from the revenue sharing programme. The company maintains that its monetisation system is intended to reward original, high quality content and discourage spam, copied posts and artificial engagement.
For now, thousands of creators remain in limbo, waiting to find out whether their accounts can qualify again or whether the latest changes mark a permanent reset of how money is earned on the platform.