Elon Musk tweets that all Twitter Blue subscribers “should get an authentication checkmark” and suggests the service should be ad-free with a lower price

Elon Musk suggested in a series of tweets Saturday night changes to the premium Twitter Blue service …

Axios 2022-04-10

Context & Ripple Effects

Musk’s proposal framed Twitter Blue as a bundle of identity signaling and advertising relief rather than a simple premium feature set. Later coverage shows that bundle being repeatedly repriced: a reported $20 verification plan gave way to an $8 offer with reduced ads and ranking benefits.

The authentication component also became operationally consequential. Twitter paused signups after fake verified accounts emerged, while its later plan separated a half-ad subscription tier from a prospective no-ad tier.

First-order effects

Twitter Blue subscribers are the immediate target of a proposed new value proposition: an authentication checkmark alongside fewer or no ads at a lower price.
Twitter would have to attach a credible authentication process to a paid product, not merely sell access to premium features.

Second-order effects

A paid checkmark changes the economics of visibility on Twitter: the later $8 plan added priority in replies, mentions, and search, making subscription status relevant to how users are surfaced.
The reported fake-account problem forces Twitter to trade launch speed against verification controls, limiting how quickly it can turn checkmarks into subscription revenue.

Third-order effects

Twitter’s subsequent half-ad and proposed no-ad tiers point toward a platform model in which identity, distribution, and advertising exposure are separately monetized subscription benefits.
If paid authentication becomes a durable product category, platforms will face sustained pressure to distinguish payment-based status from trustworthy identity verification.

The trend: Social platforms are turning formerly platform-wide status and ad-experience features into tiered subscription bundles, with verification safeguards determining whether the model holds.

Discussion

@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays $3/month) should get an authentication checkmark
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Delete the w in twitter?
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@PPathole Price should probably be ~$2/month, but paid 12 months up front & account doesn't get checkmark for 60 days (watch for CC chargebacks) & suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway
@jason @jason on x
And... just like that, Twitter has $300m in additional yearly revenue — 👏 @elonmusk 👏 https://twitter.com/...
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@GonzaAbalos Yes, should be proportionate to affordability & in local currency
@joelkatz @joelkatz on x
This actually makes a lot of sense. It would make Twitter a lot more money and would make it much more expensive to get your bots to compete with active, paying users. https://twitter.com/...
@chandrarsrikant Chandra R. Srikanth on x
Wonder what's going on in the CEO's mind. Elon has made him almost irrelevant https://twitter.com/...
@reuterstech @reuterstech on x
Musk proposes Twitter Blue subscription shake-up days after disclosing 9.2% Twitter stake https://www.reuters.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@slpng_giants @slpng_giants on x
We're going to be subjected to this forever, aren't we? https://twitter.com/...
@manakgupta Manak Gupta on x
This man will ruin Twitter https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
Randomized is actually not strong enough to describe the chaos energy that's about to hit every product roadmap at Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
@bigcheesekit @bigcheesekit on x
Everyone is gonna sign up for 1 month JUST to get a checkmark. https://twitter.com/...
@shaig Shai Goldman on x
Make him the CEO of Twitter https://twitter.com/...
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Most of these “top” accounts tweet rarely and post very little content. Is Twitter dying? https://twitter.com/...
@homebrew @homebrew on x
Tweeps, https://careers.homebrew.co/ ... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@nycsouthpaw @nycsouthpaw on x
What a weird dynamic to have at your company. Musk make a trolly comment about enormous celebrities not tweeting as much as he does, and an ambitious new member of the product department responds. https://twitter.com/...
@patrickruffini @patrickruffini on x
Release these accounts to the people https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@gayguycandleco @gayguycandleco on x
Imagine spending so much money on a platform you very clearly do not understand. https://twitter.com/...
@realsarahidan @realsarahidan on x
So @BarackObama with Most followers 131 mil gets only 300 comments per post (at most 2K) 😂 & Elon musk at bottom of list 81 mil followers gets at least 25K comments on his posts! Twitter isn't dying, these “beloved figures” have fake followers & probably buy the likes on posts ht…
@jrichlive Jeff Richards on x
People are mocking this, but it's a good question. I'd bet <10% of my friends who aren't “in tech” use Twitter regularly, and I don't think that % has increased in the last 2-3 years. https://twitter.com/...
@kentremendous Ken Tremendous on x
I am the world's richest person. There is not a person on earth who would not engage me in a dialog about addressing problems like climate change, human rights, education, and famine. I am also deeply concerned with the fact that Justin Bieber is not tweeting enough. https://twit…
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
a lowkey annoying thing about musk becoming a twitter honcho is people other than just fanboys and tesla shorts suddenly having to at least pretend to care again about whatever bs he happens to tweet out on a given day
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
The fact that the most popular *active* user of Twitter at any given time over the past decade or so has been an active shitposter actually tells you all you need to know about the product and the business.
@markdistef Mark Di Stefano on x
“Is Twitter dying?” asks Twitter's newest board member. https://twitter.com/...
@ketanj0 Ketan Joshi on x
No, because top accounts aren't the only accounts? He's genuinely just not a smart dude https://twitter.com/...
@carlhancock Carl Hancock on x
The new Roadster was announced in 2017. The Cybertruck was announced in 2019. It's 2022 and neither have shipped. Is Tesla dying? I can ask stupid questions too. https://twitter.com/...
@davidmweissman David Weissman on x
Why is Elon Musk policing Twitter's top accounts? So what if they don't post much. https://twitter.com/...
@tomgara Tom Gara on x
Elon's tweet today made me realize that Cristiano Ronaldo, fifth most followed person on Twitter, has an amazing Twitter bio https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
Twitter's largest shareholder asking why people who tweet less than him have more followers than him is a great sign of how randomized Twitter employees are going to be over the next couple of months.
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
Twitter employees think they'll be asking Elon questions in the Q&A when in truth it's an opportunity for him to get them all in one place so he can interrogate them on why Barrack Obama has more followers than him when he posts more memes? https://twitter.com/...
@jackposobiec Jack Posobiec on x
And @realDonaldTrump hasn't tweeted since 8 Jan 2021 https://twitter.com/...
@saracarterdc Sara A. Carter on x
Not yet, but if it doesn't revamp itself it will. Twitter officials have been patently politically biased, culturally biased etc...minimizing influential voices, removing those they disagree with but ironically allowing others accused of the same to remain. People aren't stupid h…
@juwanthewriter @juwanthewriter on x
Already laying the foundation to gut a website with billions of users and remake it to support the few to his liking https://twitter.com/...
@transscribe Katelyn Burns on x
Newly appointed board member openly speculates on whether his company is dying. https://twitter.com/...

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