The system was designed to help users identify authentic and influential users on the platform, including government officials, sports stars, entertainment personalities, journalists, brands and organizations. But in an update for Apple iOS devices on Saturday, the social media company said that all users who “subscribe now” to the premium “Twitter Blue” service will receive a blue tick. Available in the UK, as well as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the update says the service will provide: “People power: your account will have a blue check mark, as will celebrities, companies and the politicians you already follow.” Other features promised to be “coming soon” include half the number of ads, the ability to post longer videos, and priority ranking for content published on the platform. Musk appears to be aiming to diversify Twitter’s revenue streams and is looking to drastically cut costs at the company after completing a $44 billion acquisition of the platform last week. The company began sweeping staff cuts worldwide on Friday, with suggestions that up to half of its more than 7,500 staff could be out. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey took to the platform on Saturday to apologize for the company’s too-fast growth. He said: “I am responsible for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the size of the company too quickly. I apologize for that.” It comes as Twitter staff facing losing their UK jobs have been given three days to appoint a representative for a formal consultation on their employment. UK workers have been informed that the company plans to inform and consult with employee representatives before potential redundancies, as required by employment law. Alex Hern’s weekly dive into how technology is shaping our lives Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. An email sent to Twitter HR staff on Saturday said they had until 9 a.m. Tuesday to nominate any current employees. Musk said Friday night that Twitter employees who lost their jobs had been offered three months of back pay, with the company losing more than $4 million a day. Its security chief later said the job cuts affected about 15% of the trust and safety department, as opposed to about 50% of cuts across the company.
