Twitter Blue will verify users for $8 a month, Musk says
Elon Musk said the premium version of Twitter, called Blue, will cost $8 a month and will include a verified check mark for paying users’ accounts.
Musk, who acquired the social network for $44 billion last week, said Blue users would also get priority in replies, mentions and Twitter search, and half as many ads. They would also have the ability to bypass paywalls for “publishers willing to work with us,” he said on Twitter.
Musk called Twitter Inc.’s current verification system, which applies a check mark to users and brands that may be at risk of getting impersonated, a “lords & peasants” system. “Power to the people!” he tweeted, asking the people for $8 a month.
Billionaire Elon Musk is already floating major changes for Twitter as he begins his first week as owner of the social media platform. Verified users may soon be asked to pay $20 per month for the privilege.
Musk said Twitter would use the revenue stream to reward content creators.
Currently, verified users don’t pay anything for their badges — Twitter applies them manually to high-profile users and public figures so that users know the messages are coming from a legitimate source. Previous media reports have indicated that those who don’t pay will lose their check marks, but Musk didn’t say either way.
Twitter Blue existed before Musk took over, separately from the company’s verification system. It currently costs $4.99 a month and allows people to edit their tweets, organize tweets with bookmark folders, and change Twitter’s display and design, including the app icon.
