X is about to introduce video conference calls in the app

X is about to launch its new professional video calling feature, which essentially offers Zoom-like functionality within the X app.

As you can see in this exampleposted by X-Engineer Chris ParkX has developed a working version of its video conferencing platform, which owner Elon Musk claims is already in use for internal meetings in the company.

The new option will be listed as a separate feature in the right-hand toolbar (as “Conferences”) and, once enabled, will include full video streaming functionality for participants.

How many participants will be shown on screen has not been disclosed, but X's video calling option, which was made available to all users in February, is currently far more limited than video chat options in other apps.

As a result, X's conference calls will likely be limited to four participants per screen, although that number may be increased to better align with Zoom and other conferencing chat apps.

The update is another step towards Elon’s vision of making the platform a “do-it-all app” that meets all your interactive and transactional needs in one place.

In fact, it was in February when X’s new audio and video calling feature became active, Musk said he would get rid of his phone numberbecause X can now replace all of its telecommunications needs.

At the same time, however, basic features alone may not be enough to get more people to rely more heavily on X. And while Elon has a great vision for the app, the challenge he's faced so far is that not everyone sees the same value in these tools.

For example, as Musk claims, X can now replace your phone, but I doubt many people want to turn off their devices just yet and use it as their primary connection tool. Since you can do so many other things on your phone, including accessing X, the value of having functionality built into the app isn't that great.

Musk would also like to add payments and banking to his offering, but people already use other options on both fronts and see little reason to switch to a potentially less reliable and less secure payment/banking offering.

You can publish long articles on X, but doing so will reduce the revenue you might earn from them on other platforms, including your own blog/mailing list.

So if Elon wants X to become an essential utility for millions of people, he'll probably have to sweeten the offer. Because while these options offer some sort of replacement for other apps and providers, they're not definitively better, cheaper, or more functional in any way, at least at this point.

So, as always, when it comes to the larger X project, it comes down to two questions: Can Elon actually build a general-purpose app like he envisions? And if so, will anyone actually use it?

This is pretty much the prism through which I view this update as well. Sure, X's conference calling looks like it could provide a basic alternative to Zoom or Google Meet. But we already have those tools, and they will undoubtedly be functionally better than a newly created platform that is still working on adding new elements.

Is X's option better than what already exists? I doubt it, and if it's not better, I see no reason why people should adopt it at scale or why it should serve as an incentive to get more people to sign up for X's premium offerings.

However, it is another element within X, and if you do a lot of your work there, it is another option to consider.