There’s been speculation that this might be a test to see if absence of third-party #Twitter apps affects engagement. But it doesn’t matter anymore. We’re watching the developers react in real-time on a competing platform. Their trust in Twitter is gone. Their customers’ trust in Twitter is gone. And they’re more loyal to the developers than they ever were to Twitter. API usage could have been a feature of Blue. But now people are lining up to pay for #Ivory, #Mammoth, #Mona, etc.—not Twitter.
@dmnelson this didn't create a bump in Mastodon sign ups though. which sadly suggests that by and large 3rd party app users (those who haven't left already) are sticking with twitter.