ELON Musk wants to charge Twitter users for the prized blue tick as part of sweeping changes since becoming new owner.
Twitter verification is mostly handed out to celebrities, influencers and world leaders to prove they’re real.
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But the world’s richest man appears to believe they should pay up for the privilege.
And they could be forced to pay in the tune of $19.99 (£17.32).
According to The Verge, Musk, 51, has ordered staff to make the blue tick a perk within Twitter’s existing premium offering, Twitter Blue.
The optional tier currently costs $4.99, but apparently he’s pushing for it to be increased to $19.99.
Little after becoming “Chief Twit”, Musk reportedly warned staff they have until November 7 to make the huge change or they’ll be fired.
Musk has already publicly teased that “the whole verification process is being revamped right now”.
If the idea goes ahead, existing verified users will be given 90 days to subscribe or face losing the blue tick.
The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire has already sent shockwaves through Twitter since becoming the company’s owner last week.
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Finance chief Ned Segal revealed he has left Twitter, and there are claims CEO Parag Agrawal is out already too.
Agrawal went to court to hold Musk to the terms of a $44billion buyout deal he had tried to escape.
Musk had previously explained the reasons he wanted to take over Twitter.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,” he said.
“I didn’t do it because it would be easy. I didn’t do it to make more money.
“I did it to try and help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.”
It was also revealed on Friday that Musk reportedly plans to assume the role of Twitter CEO while still leading Tesla and SpaceX, according to Bloomberg.
The news outlet indicated, citing a source, that “life bans” from the platform could also be reversed.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
