Twitter verification could cost $8 a month, Elon Musk says
Twitter takeover: Elon Musk fires top executives | LiveNOW from FOX
Elon Musk has officially taken control of Twitter and ousted the CEO, chief financial officer and the company’s top lawyer. A few hours after Musk gained control of the company, he fired three top executives: CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and Chief Legal Counsel Vijaya Gadde.
AUSTIN, Texas - Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, is reportedly going to start charging $8 a month for verification as part of a revamped subscription service Twitter Blue.
On Tuesday, Musk outlined the Twitter verification plan in a series of tweets, following pushback over reports that Twitter would start charging a fee of $20 a month.
"Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls---," Musk wrote on the social media platform. "Power to the people! Blue for $8/month."
Musk continued that the price would be "adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity."
According to Musk, the updated service will also give users priority in replies, mentions and search, which he said is "essential to defeating spam." He said Twitter Blue will have fewer ads and provide the ability to post longer videos and audio.
The monthly verification fee, Musk said, would also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators.
This announcement comes just one day after news that Musk was reportedly going to start charging nearly $20 a month for the feature.
EARLIER: Twitter is reportedly planning to charge $20 a month for verification
In a tweet on Sunday, Musk said changes were coming: "The whole verification process is being revamped right now".
Musk took control of Twitter last week and immediately ousted the CEO, chief financial officer and the company’s top lawyer. The world's richest man paid $44 billion for the company. He's wants to increase revenue at the company.
Musk had said in the months leading up to his purchase of the social media company that he wanted to change how Twitter verifies accounts and handles bots.
Twitter Blue is currently $4.99 a month.
In a Monday Twitter poll, longtime Musk associate Jason Calacanis, a tech investor, asked users how much they would pay to get a blue check.
The options were $5, $10 or $15 a month, in addition to not paying at all.
More than 81% of respondents said they would not pay.
"Interesting," Musk said.
FOX Business contributed to this story.