The Tesla billionaire said the verification check mark, which was usually given free to celebrities, journalists, brands and public figures to show they were genuine, would soon come with a fee. The world’s richest man, who acquired Twitter in a $44 billion deal after a bitter legal battle, has considered charging as much as $20 a month, according to reports. He had taken to Twitter asking how much people would be willing to pay for a subscription to the social network. In tweets on Tuesday, Musk also said the premium subscription, called Twitter Blue, would offer priority replies and limit ads. It would also allow users to access certain news articles that are hidden behind paywalls. Mr Musk said the subscription would include “paywall bypass for publishers who wish to work with us”. The billionaire’s comments come as he makes a series of changes to Twitter in a whirlwind week at the social media company. Several senior executives have resigned or been fired, including the company’s chief executive, its chief financial officer, its chief legal officer and its entire board of directors. On Tuesday, the head of diversity announced that she had resigned from the company on Friday. Many Twitter staff are working under the threat of being fired, according to multiple reports, with demands to prepare products for launch under tight deadlines or risk being fired. Read below for the latest updates.
