Elon Musk confirms Twitter will charge for blue tick privilege

Elon Musk has outlined the new blue tick verification system for Twitter users after taking over the company last week.

In a series of Tweets shared today (1st November,) the billionaire has shared the price that people on Twitter can expect to pay if they want to keep their verification tick.

He wrote: "Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is b******t.

"Power to the people! Blue for $8/month. Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.

- Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam

- Ability to post long video & audio

- Half as many ads

"And paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us.

"This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators."

When converted, $8 amounts to £6.97.

To put the price in context for other subscriptions, a Netflix basic subscription with adverts costs $6.99.

And on Sunday (30 October), the Tesla CEO had revealed that he was planning to overhaul the verification process in a tweet sent to his 112.9 million followers.

David Branson / Alamy Stock Photo.

Musk also flagged a Twitter poll launched on Monday which surely sent a shiver down the spines of some verified Twitter users.

Created by tech investor Jason Calacanis, the tweet asked: “How much would you pay to be verified & get a blue check mark on Twitter?”

The options represent the potential price each month, ranging from $5 (£4.36), $10 (£8.71) $15 (£13.07) or a cheeky final ‘wouldn’t pay’ option, which Musk and associates have clearly ignored based on his latest announcement.

There are about 400,000 verified Twitter users currently on the platform as of 2021.

After completing his $44 billion (£38 billion) takeover of the platform last week, Musk’s first few days as the new 'Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator', per his Twitter bio, has been action-packed.

Koshiro K / Alamy Stock Photo.

The billionaire made himself the sole director of social media giant, after dissolving the entire company board.

The Independent reported on a new filing which shows that all nine of Twitter's board members have gone, leaving the tech investor as the sole person at the top.

The filing, made public on Monday (31 October), indicates that all of Twitter's board have been shown the door as part of Musk's company takeover.

The execs who have been let go are in line for an absolutely honking massive payout, with several of them receiving tens of millions of dollars as part of their severance from the company.