Skip to main content

Twitter user base expands to 284 million, but growth slows

twitter files trademark subtweet icon
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Twitter said Monday its monthly active user base expanded to 284 million users during the July-to-September quarter, an increase of 13 million (5 percent) over the previous three-month period. While that might sound like decent enough growth, some investors had been expecting a more impressive figure.

The numbers, revealed on Monday as part of the company’s financial report for Q3, also suggest the rate of growth is slowing after Twitter added 16 million new users in the April-to-June period and 14 million in the quarter before that.

Recommended Videos

Among its current base 284 million users, Twitter said 80 percent currently log in from a mobile device, a new record for the San Francisco-based company.

Income for the latest quarter hit $361 million, more than double what it made during the same quarter a year earlier, and up $49 million on the previous three-month period. However, the company is still to turn a profit, with losses for Q3 coming in at $175.5 million – that’s $30.5 million more than what it lost in Q2.

Focusing on the revenue figures, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said in an earnings call with analysts the company had experienced “another very strong quarter,” adding, “I’m happy with the strategies and the quality of the work we’re doing.”

However, in a note of caution, he said that given Twitter’s “significant aspirations and the breadth of the opportunity” in front of it, it was “more critical than ever that we increase our overall pace of execution,” suggesting the microblogging service needs to move faster with the implementation of new features and tools for both users and advertisers.

The company has been going through something of an executive shake-up in recent months, with at least three high-level members quitting their posts. These inlclude former COO Ali Rowghani who was rumored to have fallen out with CEO Dick Costolo over a bid by the Twitter boss to remove some of Rowghani’s responsibilities.

[Source: Twitter, WSJ]

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Google quietly announced a huge change for the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel Fold
The back of the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro.

If you have a Google Pixel 6, Pixel 7, or original Pixel Fold, then we have some good news. Those devices will now last longer, as Google has extended update support for them by an additional two years, according to a change on its support page.

When the Pixel 6 launched, Google also announced that it would be extending software support for future devices from three years to five years. Previously, Google only gave its hardware three years of security and Android OS updates, but at that time, security updates were extended to five years. Android OS upgrades stayed at three.

Read more
6 excellent iPhone apps that I wish were available on Android
Four iPhone exclusive apps and associated widgets on an iPhone 16 Pro homescreen

For the past 15 years, the way we think about and use technology has been completely reshaped. What was once a hardware-first industry quickly became a software-first one, and this radical evolution of technology can be traced back to one pivotal moment. In 2009, Apple debuted the iPhone 3G and the first App Store. This launch ushered in a new era: the smartphone, complete with apps. It also debuted one of the best commercials, complete with a catchphrase that is sometimes still used today: There’s an app for that.

For many years, the iPhone had a plethora of apps that were not available on Android. While most of these are now available cross-platform, not every developer has embraced the billions of potential customers who don’t have an iPhone. Even now, some apps launch first on iOS and can take months or years to launch on Android.

Read more
Here’s another hands-on look at the Google Pixel 9a’s radical new design
A person holding the Google Pixel 8a.

The Google Pixel 9a is months away from launch, but many leaks have already revealed what the phone might look like. New real-life images of the Pixel 9a fortify earlier leaks, making us believe the purported design changes, including a more condensed camera module.

Prominent leaker OnLeaks shared a set of images on X allegedly showing a prototype unit of the Pixel 9a. The images show the front and the back of the Pixel 9a and align with the previous leaks of the phone, including hands-on images and digital renders.

Read more