Elon Musk recently acquired Twitter in a deal worth $44 billion.
New Delhi:
Tweets from bestselling author Stephen King expressing disappointment over the anticipated fees for verified badges have elicited a response from none other than Elon Musk, who most recently took over the microblogging platform in a $44 billion deal.
Amid speculation that Twitter may soon start charging verified users a monthly fee for blue ticks on their handles, Mr. King said, “$20 a month to keep my blue checks? I should pay. If it gets established, I’m gone like Enron.”
$20 a month to keep my blue check? Fuck, they should pay me. If it gets installed, I’m gone like Enron.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) 31 October 2022
There is a lot of speculation about the monthly fee, with some reports claiming it will be around $5 per month, while others put it as high as $20. The mention of Enron in the author’s tweet refers to the epic collapse of the major US corporation after years of rapid growth.
Responding to Mr. King’s tweet, Musk said, “We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter can’t completely trust advertisers. What about $8?”
We have to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely solely on advertisers. How about $8?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 1 November 2022
The Tesla CEO, who changed his Twitter bio to “Chief Tweet” and has now updated it to “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator”, further said that he is the reason behind charging the fee before making any such changes. Will explain rationalization. He also called it “the only way to defeat bots and trolls”.
I will explain the logic in a longer form before implementing it. This is the only way to defeat bots and trolls.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 1 November 2022
The discussion about the fee for a verified badge has sparked an intense debate, with many saying it is not worth paying for a blue tick and others arguing that there is something in charging people for a blue tick. Not wrong either.
Musk, whose Twitter acquisition went through dramatic developments that reached court, has said the verification process for accounts is being revamped. He did not add any details.
According to the report, if the project goes ahead, users will have to subscribe to Twitter Blue for $4.99 per month or lose their “Verified” badge.
The Tesla Inc CEO hasn’t made a final decision and the project is yet to be scrapped but according to the platformer it is likely that the verification will become part of Twitter Blue.
Twitter Blue was launched in June last year as the platform’s first subscription service, offering “exclusive access to premium features” on a monthly subscription basis, including the ability to edit tweets.
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