Elon Musk on plans for Twitter’s Blue Service

·10 Apr 2022

Elon Musk wants Twitter Inc to offer authentication checkmarks and zero ads for users that pay for premium features on the social media service.

After investor Michael Burry complained about losing his account’s authentication checkmark, the billionaire and new Twitter board member told Burry he’ll get it back and also suggested that the company give authentication checkmarks to all Twitter Blue users.

You will get it back, even though you shorted Tesla, you bastard 🤣

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022

Twitter’s monthly subscription service offers premium features such as some ad-free articles and the ability to retract a tweet before it’s visible to others and is available to users in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays $3/month) should get an authentication checkmark

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022

But should be different from “public figure” or “official account” checkmark

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022

And no ads. The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022

Since taking a 9.2% stake and winning a board seat on Twitter, Musk has already weighed in on the lack of an edit button as well as how little celebrities like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift post on the social media network.

Musk is set to join Twitter chief executive officer Parag Agrawal at a company meeting next week to address employee questions. Ahead of that, he held a poll on whether Twitter should convert its headquarters into a homeless shelter, taking aim at its return-to-office policy that allows employees the option of working remotely “forever.”