X to start basically leasing desirable handles to users

If you’re forking over that much money for—lest we forget—a service that used to be totally free, at least the handle itself will be complimentary… sometimes. “Priority” handles (given examples include “@GabrielJones,” “@PizzaEater,” and “@ParadoxAI”) are free to request and will remain that way if your request is honored—unless you decide it isn’t worth it to continue paying $40 per month to post online and cancel or downgrade your subscription. Then the handle goes back to the Marketplace, and you’re left with your boring old non-priority handle. 

“Rare” handles, on the other hand, are a bit more complicated. X defines “rare” handles as those that generally include “short, generic, or culturally significant names” (examples include “@Pizza,” “@Tom,” and “@One”). This type of handle can be purchased directly, but only if a user is invited to do so; yes, that additional fee will be on top of the $40 or $1,000 per month they’re already paying, but they will get to keep the handle if they cancel their Premium subscription. (Price points will be “determined by a number of factors including popularity of word, character length, and cultural significance.” X hasn’t shared prices for specific handles as of this writing, but they’ll apparently range from $2,500 to over seven figures “depending on demand and uniqueness.”) The rare handles will also occasionally be released in “public drops” where multiple users can apply, with the winning user determined by their “past contributions to X,” their “intended use of the handle,” and their “engagement and reach on the platform.” Of course, we assume this will be spearheaded by the same guy who gave us “MechaHitler,” which means @Pizza will probably start spewing some truly abhorrent nonsense.