#287 - Twitter's Unfair API Price - I Had to Call Luca
Indie Founder
The Price of Twitter's API
Twitter's API is software that allows you to interact with Twitter. Hivoe, FidHive can schedule tweets or send DMs for you. This has been completely free since the beginning of Twitter. But then Elon Musk bought Twitter. And suddenly decided to increase the prices of this API to a value that makes no sense.
How is the increase in Twitter's API prices by Elon Musk affecting the indie community? In this podcast episode, I speak with Luca, the founder of Hivoe, who is currently facing the possibility of all his indie projects coming to an end due to the Twitter API price increase. I also share about Podsqueeze ProductHunt launch.
Links
Timestamps
Tragedy in the Indie Community [00:00:12]
Discussion of Elon Musk's increase in prices of Twitter's API and its impact on indie tools.
Comparison of Lifestyles [00:03:00]
Comparison of the lifestyle of the super-rich and the struggles of those in poverty.
From Survival to Success [00:06:40]
Comparison of the stress of working for someone else to the stress of being an indie hacker trying to survive. Discussion of the launch of Pod Squeeze and its rapid growth.
Product Hunt Launch [00:09:37]
Discussion of the launch of Pod Squeeze on Product Hunt and its unexpected success.
Twitter API Price Increase [00:17:11]
Tiago and Luca discuss the recent increase in prices of Twitter's API by Elon Musk and how it affects the indie community.
Impact on Indie Projects [00:20:09]
Luca shares his experience and thoughts on how the Twitter API price increase will affect indie projects and their sustainability.
Understanding Twitter's API [00:22:04]
Discussion on the different types of requests and endpoints on Twitter's API and the new limitations on the number of requests allowed.
Twitter's API Pricing Plans [00:24:03]
Explanation of the pricing plans for Twitter's API, including the basic plan and the enterprise plan, and the number of requests allowed.
Big Companies Paying for Twitter's API [00:26:06]
Discussion on why big companies like Buffer and Hootsuite are willing to pay for Twitter's API despite the high cost.
Importance of Twitter Tools for Indie Hackers [00:28:13]
Explanation of the importance of Twitter tools like Hivoe and FeedHive for indie hackers to interact with Twitter on a professional level and grow their audience.
Reasons for Twitter's API Price Increase [00:30:13]
Discussion on the reasons behind Elon Musk's decision to increase the prices of Twitter's API, including fighting against bots, generating more revenue, and reducing server load.
Twitter API price increase [00:32:10]
Discussion on the recent increase in prices of Twitter's API and its impact on the indie community.
**Effects on the indie community [00:33:30]**
The host shares his personal experiences as an indie hacker and the launch of his product on Product Hunt.
Regulation of Twitter [00:39:13]
The host and guest discuss whether the Twitter API price increase should be regulated and suggest alternative ways for Twitter to monetize its API.
Next Steps for Every and Inboxes [00:43:08]
Founder of Vui shares his plans after the shock of the Twitter API update, including evaluating the possibility of selling the products to bigger companies and potentially shutting down both products.
Lessons Learned [00:50:37]
The speaker shares his personal experience as an indie hacker and the importance of avoiding platform risk and diversifying efforts.
Reflection and Action [00:58:22]
The speaker encourages reflection and action to make things better for indie makers. They express gratitude towards Twitter makers and end the episode on a lower note, reflecting on the challenges faced by indie makers.
Background Music
Music: https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
The AI-powered Podcast Player
