In buying Twitter -- largely with his own money, but also with significant backing from investors who expect a return on their own risk -- Elon Musk has taken on a huge potential liability
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Musk recently confirmed that Twitter would now charge $8 monthly for a blue check verification
  • He later mocked people's reaction to Twitter Blue after he received flak for the new subscription service
  • Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also trolled Musk for selling 'free speech' for $8

The hacking collective Anonymous on Wednesday trolled Tesla CEO and Twitter's new owner Elon Musk for a tweet comparing people's reaction between buying a Starbucks drink and paying for a blue check.

On Tuesday, Musk confirmed that the company would now charge users an $8 monthly subscription service, called "Twitter Blue," with the promise that subscribers would now receive a coveted blue check mark signifying their account is verified.

Musk's announcement received flak from many users, leading him to mock people's reaction when buying an $8 Starbucks drink to paying $8 for a monthly subscription. In response, Anonymous hackers trolled Musk's "shock" about the people's response.

"BREAKING NEWS: Billionaire SHOCKED that people spend money on THINGS THEY LIKE rather than being forced to spend money on things they do not like or NEED," the hacking collective wrote in a tweet.

Anonymous was not the only one that trolled Musk for introducing the $8 Twitter Blue subscription plan. In a tweet published Tuesday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. D-N.Y. slammed Musk for selling "free speech" for an $8 monthly fee.

"Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually a $8/mo subscription plan," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a tweet.

"Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8," Musk hit back.

Subscribing to Twitter Blue will give users the ability to post longer videos and audio. They will also get priority "in replies, mentions, and search, half as many ads" as free users, and a paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with the company

Twitter Blue will introduce a revenue stream to reward content creators who post their work on the platform. For public figures, they will be given a secondary tag below their name, Musk said.

Read more

Initial reports suggested that Musk was planning on charging subscribers $20 a month for the blue check mark, people familiar with the discussion told The Verge.

Twitter users who are currently verified will have three months to subscribe to the platform's new Twitter Blue service after its launch. Failure to subscribe would lead them to lose their blue checkmarks.

Documents filed with the SEC show that Elon Musk is now Twitter's sole director after the company's board was dissolved
AFP
Elon musk Twitter