Unverified accounts - the vast majority of Twitter users - can now only read 600 posts a day before getting a message that says "rate limit exceeded." New un-verified users are limited to reading 300 posts. Those with a blue-checked verified account fare better, with their daily limit set at 6000.
But the limits don't just stop users from seeing updates from influencers, politicians and media sources: they also now block many users from seeing tweets on advertiser pages.
And that could create a major headache for Linda Yaccarino, the former NBCUniversal advertising chief whose main focus since becoming Twitter CEO last month has been to repair relationships with advertisers who reportedly pulled away from the social media platform after Musk bought it last year.
Speaking to Reuters, one veteran marketing executive called Musk's move potentially "catastrophic" for Twitter's ad business, while another said (quote), "The advertiser trust deficit that Linda Yaccarino needs to reverse just got even bigger. And it cannot be reversed based on her industry credibility alone."
In a tweet on Saturday, Musk said the limits were a temporary move, part of what he said was an effort to discourage "extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation".
Musk has since tweeted that he will soon raise the limits for all users - but limits will still be in place... along with another new rule that requires a log-in to see any tweets at all on the platform.
A Twitter spokesperson did not reply to requests for comment and inquiries about how long the restrictions will last.
