Elon Musk to Charge ‘Blue Check’ Users a Monthly Fee, Keep Twitter Free for Everyone Else

Twitter’s new owner and CEO is planning to start charging “blue check” users a monthly fee to display the verification badge on their accounts, according to reports.

The blue verification badge is typically given to celebrities and other public figures to prove the account is authentic and hasn’t been set up by an imposter.

However, the blue checkmark is often mistaken for authority as it creates a hierarchy among users due to the process not being open to everyone.

Musk has long suggested he may change the system so that the blue check mark simply means an account holder has verified their identity, meaning it can be an option for all users.

According to a new report by The Verge, Musk has now ordered engineers to put his plan into action.

Under the new plan, users will reportedly be given the opportunity to sign up for a $19.99 monthly subscription that includes the blue badge verification plus additional features.

Those who don’t need to the extra features can simply continue using Twitter for free.

The “directive is to change Twitter Blue, the company’s optional, $4.99 a month subscription that unlocks additional features, into a more expensive subscription that also verifies users,” according to sources and documents accessed by the outlet.

While pricing is subject to change, the plan is to charge $19.99 for the new Twitter Blue.

The report said celebrities and other people with existing “blue check” accounts will have 90 days to sign up for the new $19.99 package or they will lose their verification badge.

Musk has informed employees that they must meet the deadline to launch the new product by the end of the first week in November or they will be fired, the report claims.

On Sunday evening, Musk tweeted that “The whole verification process is being revamped right now.”

As Slay News previously reported, Musk is set to cut up to 50% of the workforce at Twitter in the very near future after taking over the company late last week.

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The New York Times reported that Musk “ordered the cuts across the company, with some teams to be trimmed more than others,” adding that “some managers [were] being asked to draw up lists of employees to cut.”

Musk acquired the company Thursday after his $44 billion purchase was finalized following a drama-filled six-month process that saw him try to back out at the last moment.

Ross Gerber, the chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, said he was told by a top official from Musk’s team that major layoffs were coming to the workforce of 7,500 people.

“I was told to expect somewhere around 50 percent of people will be laid off,” Gerber said.

The layoffs are reportedly set to happen before employees were scheduled to get stock grants as part of their compensation, the report added.

Reports circulated this week that Musk was planning to cut up to 75% of the workforce, although he reportedly pushed back on the notion that the number would be that high.

Musk began his new reign at the company by firing leftist CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and “censorship chief” Vijaya Gadde, The Washington Post reported.

The report said Musk also fired the company’s general counsel, Sean Edgett, who was escorted out of the building by security.

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By Frank Bergman

Frank Bergman is a political/economic journalist living on the east coast. Aside from news reporting, Bergman also conducts interviews with researchers and material experts and investigates influential individuals and organizations in the sociopolitical world.

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