Twitter is planning to charge $20/month for blue tick verification
What's the story
Elon Musk, the new 'Chief Twit,' has set the ball rolling on his vision for Twitter. The billionaire is taking no prisoners to mold the company into what he wants.
He has already changed Twitter's homepage. Now, he reportedly wants to charge users for the 'coveted' blue tick.
It will be part of Musk's plan to revamp the platform's verification process.
Context
Why does this story matter?
After firing Twitter's top executives, Musk is now shifting his focus toward Twitter Blue by making profile verification a part of the package, meaning 'blue tick' accounts will have to pay a fee in the future.
Twitter Blue is a monthly subscription service. It offers users exclusive access to premium features and is currently offered only in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Verification
Musk has always criticized Twitter's verification process
Musk has long been a critic of how Twitter handles its verification process. Now that he is at the helm of the company, it is not surprising that he wants to change that.
He tweeted on Sunday, "The whole verification process is being revamped right now." The Tesla CEO has identified Twitter Blue as the way ahead.
New process
User verification will become part of Twitter Blue
How will Twitter Blue help in solving Musk's concerns about the platform's verification process? According to The Verge, the company will make user verification a part of the subscription program.
Verified users will have 90 days to subscribe to Twitter Blue or lose their blue tick.
The microblogging platform is also planning to charge more for the premium subscription. It will reportedly cost $19.99/month.
Deadline
Employees have time till November 7 to make changes
The linking of account verification with Twitter Blue will be a time-bound process, as per people familiar with the matter.
The 'Chief Twit' has reportedly given employees a November 7 deadline to launch the feature. If they are unable to fulfill the assignment on time, they will be fired.
With the way things have been at Twitter, we won't consider that an empty threat.
Changes
Musk is reviewing the codes written by Twitter engineers
Musk has been swift to take action in his newfound power over Twitter. The billionaire started by axing senior executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal.
He plans to lay off more in the coming weeks. Musk and Tesla engineers have also started reviewing the code contribution by Twitter engineers.
This is to ensure that they can keep up with Musk's demands.
Update
Twitter's home page now shows trending tweets and news
Musk's changes are not limited to Twitter's internal organization. He has also changed Twitter's home page with the help of Tesla engineers he brought in.
Now, when users sign out, they are taken to an Explore page that shows tweets and news stories. Previously, only a sign-up form showed up.
He has renamed Twitter's paid 'Super Follow' feature to 'Subscriptions.'
Continuing drama
Part 2 of Musk-Twitter is living up to its hype
We are now in part two of the Musk-Twitter saga. The first part was one for ages.
From April to October, we saw Musk's transformation from a serial tweeter to the company's owner. In between, he made an offer, withdrew the same, and the company even took him to court.
The post-acquisition theatrics is already living up to their billing.