Is Elon Musk’s X Losing Its Grip on Europe? The EU Exodus Explained

X’s European user base has plummeted by 11 million since October 2024—and EU regulations are holding up a mirror to the platform’s decline. New transparency reports reveal Musk’s social media empire is shrinking faster in key markets like France and Germany. What’s driving the exodus, and can X recover? Let’s dive in.

🌍 The EU’s Transparency Hammer: X’s User Drain Exposed

Thanks to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), X can no longer hide its struggles. Here’s what the data shows:

• 📉 94.8 million monthly active users in the EU as of March 2025—down from 106+ million pre-Musk in 2022.
• 🇫🇷 France lost 2.7 million users (20.1M → 17.4M), while Germany shed 1.5 million.
• 🇪🇺 Smaller markets hit hardest: 25% of users fled Lithuania and Luxembourg.
• 📅 10.5% drop in just 5 months (Oct 2024 - Mar 2025), per X’s own DSA reports.

✅ X’s Survival Playbook: Ads, AI, and Election Chaos

Musk’s team is scrambling to reverse the trend with mixed results:

• ✅ Post-2024 U.S. election traffic spike: Returning advertisers like Apple briefly boosted engagement.
• 🤖 xAI acquisition: Musk’s AI firm bought X in late 2024, promising integration—but details remain vague.
• 🗳️ Election-year opportunism: X leveraged political debates and Trump’s return, though gains proved temporary.

🚧 The Roadblocks: Why X’s Decline Might Accelerate

Multiple pivots haven’t addressed core issues:

• ⚠️ Global user erosion: Financial Times found X lost 20% of U.S. and 33% of UK daily users in 2024.
• 💸 Revenue freefall: Advertisers fled post-Musk, with 2023 revenue reportedly down 40% year-over-year.
• 🔍 DSA scrutiny: EU’s mandatory reporting makes it harder to mask problems—unlike in unregulated markets.
• ⚡ Tesla’s shadow: Anti-Musk protests and Tesla’s 71% profit drop may be poisoning X’s brand in Europe.

📉 Final Thoughts: Can X Survive the Regulatory Spotlight?

The EU’s transparency rules have turned Xodus into a measurable crisis. For recovery, Musk needs:

• 🚀 Beyond election cycles: Stop relying on temporary news-driven traffic bumps.
• 🌐 Global DSA-proofing: Fix content moderation and trust issues before more regions adopt EU-style laws.
• 💡 Post-Twitter identity: Users aren’t buying “everything app” promises—clearer utility is needed.

With U.S. user loyalty also wavering, X’s European retreat could be a bellwether. Is this the beginning of a platform’s irreversible decline—or just a bump in Musk’s long game? What do you think?

Let us know on X (Former Twitter)

Sources: Matt Binder. Elon Musk's X lost 11 million users in the EU over the past 5 months, April 2025. https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-x-twitter-eu-users-decline