Yahoo Finance Elon Musk plots blue tick shake-up to put more of Twitter behind a paywall
Elon Musk is to place more of Twitter behind a paywall in a move that will prevent non-paying users from appearing in the social network’s main feed.
The billionaire said that from April 15 only accounts who have paid £8 per month, or £11 per month on iPhones, for a blue tick under its Blue subscriber service will be recommended in its “for you” feature.
Users will also be required to pay the monthly fee and verify their account to access other features, such as voting in polls.
Mr Musk claimed the move was “the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle”.
Other premium features for Twitter Blue include the ability to post longer Tweets, fewer adverts and the ability to unsend posts.
The billionaire also plans to charge organisations up to £950 per month for a gold “verified organisation” badge on the site.
Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.
The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.
Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023
The decision comes as Mr Musk attempts to boost subscriber numbers as advertiser interest in Twitter wanes.
The billionaire has warned staff the social network risks bankruptcy and has cut thousands of jobs to save cash.
The world’s second richest man has implemented a radical shake up at Twitter in a bid to boost free expression, rescinding bans on hundreds of accounts.
Twitter’s main news feed, where users come to view Tweets, has now been split into two channels: “for you” and “following”.
The “for you” tab shows users posts that are picked through an algorithm, while the “following” service is a chronological feed of other accounts they follow.
Mr Musk bought Twitter last year in a $44bn (£36bn) deal, before trying to walk away from the takeover and accusing executives of providing misleading figures about the number of fake accounts on the social network.
He was later forced to go through with the deal after a months-long legal battle.
