X pauses controversial revenue change after backlash from Nigerian creators

X has delayed changes to its Creator Revenue Sharing program after international creators, including Nigerians, protested that the updates would unfairly penalise accounts with global audiences.

X head of product Nikita Bier announced on Tuesday that the platform would begin prioritising local impressions in its creator revenue model, meaning users would earn more from audiences in their home countries and regions. The move was designed to discourage creators from targeting foreign audiences, especially in the US, to boost earnings.

“We will be giving more weight to impressions from your home region, to encourage content that resonates with people in your country, in neighbouring countries, and people who speak your language,” Bier wrote.

“While we appreciate everyone’s opinion on American politics, we hope this will disincentivise gaming the attention of US or Japanese accounts and instead, drive diverse conversations on the platform.”

However, the announcement sparked immediate backlash, particularly after Bier referenced Nigeria in a follow-up comment about reducing foreign-focused content. When a user asked for clarification, Bier replied: “Precisely. Fewer Ivanka Trump Fan accounts based in Nigeria, and more Nigerians sharing their thoughts about Nigeria.”

The comment triggered sharp reactions from Nigerian creators who accused Bier and X of unfairly singling out Nigeria despite similar patterns existing across other countries. Bier responded: “We love Nigeria and we want to build the best place to talk about things that matter most to them.”

Similar read: Elon Musk affirms X has been underpaying creators

However, the damage was done. Nigerian creators and international users flooded X with criticism, warning that the policy would punish legitimate English-language creators who naturally attract global audiences.

Hours later, Elon Musk intervened with a one-line tweet: “We will pause moving forward with this until further consideration.”

Why Nigerian creators pushed back against the change

The proposed change would have fundamentally altered how X pays creators. Currently, the platform pays based on verified Premium impressions regardless of geography, averaging roughly $8.50 per million impressions.

X doubled its revenue-sharing pool for 2026, making the program increasingly important for creators across Africa.

A weighting system would hurt creators in countries with lower advertising rates, like Kenya, Nigeria, and Portugal, even with a large US audience. This is because ad rates in those markets are much lower than in the US and Japan.

For Nigerian creators who write in English and create content that resonates globally, whether about tech, politics, entertainment, or culture, the policy would have effectively penalised them for succeeding at building international audiences.

Elon Musk and Nikita Bier

This isn’t the first time X has targeted Nigerian creators. In February 2026, the platform suspended revenue sharing for approximately 80% of Nigerian creators, citing spam and engagement manipulation. The platform’s AI tool, Grok, flagged accounts for low-effort content and artificial engagement boosts.

Some creators reportedly turned to paid courses charging ₦3,000 for guides on how to “beat” X’s algorithm using repetitive posts and engagement tricks. The platform’s machine-learning systems tracked suspicious patterns such as mass liking, coordinated replies, or spam activity designed to inflate numbers.

Similar platform restrictions affecting Nigerians

The revenue change proposed by X is similar to other platform policies that negatively affect Nigerian content creators. YouTube has often changed its monetisation rules in ways that harm creators in countries where ad rates are low.

TikTok’s Creator Fund pays much less for views from Africa than for views from the US or Europe, leading many Nigerian creators to target foreign audiences to earn more money.

Meta’s platforms have also faced criticism for lower ad revenue shares in African markets, making it harder for Nigerian creators to earn a sustainable income compared to their counterparts in wealthier countries.

Musk’s pause keeps the existing revenue structure intact for now, but X still aims to curb spam and coordinated engagement farming. A more targeted version of the policy may return, separating bad actors from legitimate global creators.

For Nigerian creators, the pause offers temporary relief but highlights ongoing tension between platform efforts to combat manipulation and the economic reality that creators in smaller markets must often build global audiences to earn meaningful income.

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