With his position as head Twit (Head tweeter? Tweeter in Chief?) now cemented, the world’s richest man has been busy.
The drawn-out takeover process finally ended last week, and since then, Musk has fired the CEO, dissolved the board, made some back end-changes, and most importantly, kicked off a public haggling session with horror author Stephen King.
“We need to pay the bills somehow!”
The minor spat involved Musk’s most significant proposal for the platform — a $20 per month subscription for blue check users. Currently, holders of a blue check command a higher degree of trust, as they are “verified users”. The feature is typically used by celebrities, journalists, and other public figures.
Author Stephen King immediately voiced his displeasure at the proposal, claiming Twitter should be paying him to be on the service. Musk replied, asking if $8 was more acceptable, as Twitter “cannot rely entirely on advertisers.”
This morning, Musk seemed unphased by the displeasure of King or any other users, Tweeting a message that detractors can “continue complaining, but it will cost $8.”
I think we might have a sequel to It on the way: Twit.