Musk’s Twitter on a Warpath as It Phases Out Legacy Blue Verifications

Twitter has started phasing out the legacy blue verified accounts and only the paid accounts would get the once-coveted blue tick mark now.

Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter last year now seems on a warpath with many celebrities as well as institutions who have refused to pay for the verification.

While Musk sees it as “democratization” as now anybody can get a verified account, not many are convinced.

The White House, news outlets like the New York Times, and celebrities including Chrissy Teigen, LeBron James, and Ben Stiller are among those who have lost their blue verification after they did not pay for the service- and the platform has moved government institutions like the White House to a grey check mark.

Twitter charges $8 per month if the subscription is taken on the web. However, the company charges $11 per month if one takes the subscription on the app stores.

Twitter also offers an $84 annual subscription but it is available only on the web and not in app stores.

Musk set on a warpath with Apple over the differential prices and at one point in time he feared that the iPhone maker would ban Twitter from the app store.

Now, as Twitter phases out the legacy blue subscription, it seems to have set on a warpath with several people who have lost their erstwhile blue tick on the platform.

Twitter Phases Out Blue Tick Verification

Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has been controversial pretty much from the onset.

Musk has always been polarizing and along with his vast and loyal fan army, there were many who disagreed with him. However, Musk is now a polarizing personality on political lines as well.

Musk has shifted his political allegiance to Republicans by declaring that he would vote for Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential elections. He has also irked many by restoring former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

Trump meanwhile is not keen on joining Twitter. He has launched his own social media business which has announced a merger with Digital World Acquisition (NYSE: DWAC).

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Many have been perturbed by reports of increasing hate speech and fake news on Twitter ever since Musk took over.

Even Cathie Wood of ARK Invest – who is among the most well-known Tesla bulls believes that many people would not buy Tesla cars now after Musk’s Twitter acquisition and the related controversies.

She is nonetheless bullish on Tesla stock and expects it to rise to $1,500

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Musk Seldom Shies Away from Controversies

Meanwhile, Musk seldom shies away from controversies and looks set to take opposition to the new verification system head-on.

He has lashed out at the New York Times in a tweet calling their “propaganda” uninteresting. It would be fair to expect more such “colourful” tweets from the billionaire in the coming days as he tries to defend the new paid verification.

The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023

Notably, Musk now has the most Twitter followers after he overtook Barack Obama. While many leading personalities including Obama have lost followers in recent weeks, Musk’s following has continued to swell.

What’s the Problem with New Twitter Blue Verification?

Researcher Travis Brown has collated data about Twitter blue subscriptions which shows that nearly half of the Blue subscribers have less than 1,000 subscribers while 17.6% have even less than 100 subscribers.

There have been instances previously of fake accounts getting the paid blue tick verification.

As for Musk and Twitter, the success of paid verification is crucial as the platform has seen an exodus of advertisers after Musk took over.

Musk has also slashed the company’s valuation by over half of $20 billion – even as he sees it rising to $250 billion in the long term.

Many Musk critics believe that with Twitter the mercurial CEO has bitten more than he can chew.

If the paid blue verification gains traction, it would help Musk silence his critics. However, that’s easier said than done as many are simply not willing to pay for the subscription.

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