Elon Musk is responding to the backlash he received after it was reported he would start charging verified Twitter users a $20 monthly fee.
On Tuesday, Musk announced that the Twitter Blue subscription service will cost $8 a month and will grant users a verified account.
In a tweet, he described his assessment of “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark.” He added: “Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.”
Earlier this week, multiple outlets reported that Twitter was attempting to alter its current membership service, which costs $4.99 per month, to include the verification capability. Originally it was said that if current verified users didn’t begin paying the higher $19.99 monthly price for the product within 90 days, Twitter might remove their blue checkmarks.
Aside from the $8 price point, Musk explained that subscribers would receive priority replies, mentions, and searches, fewer ads, and the ability to post longer videos and audio.
“This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators,” he added.
According to Musk, publishers who use the platform can also get beyond the paywall.
