I received an email with the following content today. I haven't been able to find the same content on the web, so I thought it might be worthwhile to post the email text here:
Hello,
We are excited to share some updates regarding the Twitter API so you can keep building and innovating with us. Twitter offers one of the world’s most powerful data sets, and our recent updates will enable you to continue to tap into all its potential.
Basic access
On February 13, we will introduce our new low-cost, basic access that offers a low level of API usage, and full access to Ads API for a $100 monthly fee. This basic access will replace our previous access levels (Essential, Elevated, and Academic Research). We will provide instructions on how to subscribe to the basic access through our website on Monday.
Limited free access
As this is extremely important to the developer ecosystem, we will also introduce a new form of free write access to the Twitter API limited to Tweet creation of up to 1,500 Tweets per month for a single authenticated user token, as well as including free access to Login with Twitter. If you are currently on a free tier and you want to take advantage of the new limited free access, no actions are necessary - you will automatically be switched to the new free access on February 13.
Premium API deprecation
On February 13, we will also deprecate the Premium API access. If you’re subscribed to Premium, you can apply for Enterprise access here to continue using these endpoints.
We truly believe that the developer community can continue to create value with our Twitter API. We hope you are excited about this new chapter of the Twitter Developer Platform as we continue to invest in our ecosystem’s success. Please continue to follow @TwitterDev for the latest updates.
Thank you,
The Twitter Developer Platform team
And somehow, amid all this, they still have goofy shit like having to "apply" for Enterprise access.
All this tells me is that Twitter, with or without Elon in charge, just do. not. get. it. when it comes to working with 3rd party developers.
Just do this Twitter:
1. Offer a usable free tier. Not necessarily a generous free tier, but something that is good enough for hobbyists, small time projects, experimenting with the API, etc.
2. Make it so all I need to access more data through the API is my same account, and a credit card. Period. No "application", no goofy bullshit. Just "if you can afford it, here it is." Have a few tiers at progressive levels of capability and associated cost. If the full-firehose is crazy expensive, so be it. I think everybody understands that it isn't going to be cheap.
That's it. That's how the Twitter API needs to work. If you actually, you know, want developers to develop for Twitter. But let's be honest... you don't really. For whatever bizarre reason, this has been an issue with Twitter going back to nearly the beginning and things don't seem to have gotten any better, so... developers are now better served working on Fediverse projects and just ignoring Twitter altogether.