‘Chief Twit’ Elon Musk has shared that he plans to roll out the ability for users to buy Twitter blue tick verification for $8/month, saying “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. ”
Announced in a tweet on Tuesday, Musk said users who pay for verification will receive priority in replies, mentions and search across Twitter, as well as the ability to post long video & audio and see half as many ads on the platform.
On Monday, it was first reported that Musk had instructed developers to include verification as one of the perks of the social network’s pay monthly Twitter Blue service, with existing verified accounts at risk of losing their blue badge if they don’t subscribe to the service.
Originally, reports had suggested that Musk would charge $20/month for blue badge verification, with the new CEO saying “The whole verification process is being revamped right now.” and that “[Twitter] needs to pay the bills somehow!”
As it stands, Twitter Blue unlocks additional Twitter features such as the ability to bookmark and undo Tweets, color theme and app icon options, edit tweets, a reader mode, and more. The service costs $4.99/month and is only available in a handful of countries around the world.
