Twitter launches $8 month-to-month subscription with blue checkmark as Musk strikes shortly to overtake platform

In an replace to Apple iOS units, Twitter mentioned customers who “join now” can obtain the blue checkmark subsequent to their names “similar to the celebrities, firms and politicians you already observe.”

The change represents the tip of Twitter’s present verification system, which was launched in 2009 to stop impersonations of high-profile accounts reminiscent of celebrities and politicians. Earlier than the overhaul, Twitter had about 423,000 verified accounts, a lot of them rank-and-file journalists from across the globe that the corporate verified no matter what number of followers they’d.

Consultants have raised grave issues about upending the platform’s verification system that, whereas not good, has helped Twitter’s 238 million day by day customers decide whether or not the accounts they had been getting info from had been genuine. The replace Twitter made to the iOS model of its app doesn’t point out verification as a part of the brand new “blue examine” system.

It comes a day after the corporate started shedding employees to chop prices and as extra firms are pausing promoting on Twitter as a cautious company world waits to see the way it will function below its new proprietor.

About half of the corporate’s workers of seven,500 was let go, tweeted Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of security and integrity.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on Saturday took blame for such widespread job losses. He had two runs as CEO of Twitter, with the latest stretching from 2015 into 2021.

“I personal the duty for why everyone seems to be on this state of affairs: I grew the corporate dimension too shortly,” he tweeted. “I apologize for that.”

Musk tweeted late Friday that there was no selection however to chop the roles “when the corporate is shedding over $4M/day.” He didn’t present particulars on the day by day losses on the firm and mentioned staff who misplaced their jobs had been provided three months’ pay as a severance.

In the meantime, Twitter has already seen “a large drop in income” due to stress from activist teams on advertisers to get off the platform, Musk tweeted Friday. That hits Twitter laborious due to its heavy reliance thus far on promoting to earn cash. Through the first six months of this yr, practically $92 of each $100 it made in income got here from promoting.

United Airways turned the most recent main model to pause promoting on Twitter. The Chicago-based United confirmed Saturday that it had made the transfer however declined to debate the explanations for it or what it might must see to renew promoting on the platform.

It joined the rising record of huge firms pausing adverts on Twitter, together with Normal Motors, REI, Normal Mills and Audi.

Musk tried to reassure advertisers final week, saying Twitter wouldn’t turn out to be a “free-for-all hellscape” due to what he calls his dedication to free speech.

However issues stay about whether or not a lighter contact on content material moderation at Twitter will lead to customers sending out extra offensive tweets. That might harm firms’ manufacturers if their ads seem subsequent to them.

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