San Francisco, California – Elon Musk, the controversial CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, has made a significant reversal in company policies regarding “verified status.” Musk recently announced that X will now be granting free “premium” status to users with a large following, regardless of whether they desire it or not. This decision marks a shift from the previous requirement of payment for verification, which caused some embarrassment among beneficiaries.
Under the new policy, users with more than 2,500 “verified subscriber follows” will receive the “premium” status, while those with over 5,000 followers will be upgraded to “premium+.” These tiers of service offer various benefits, such as reduced ads, increased visibility in the site’s algorithm, access to an “anti-woke” AI chatbot, and prioritization for responses. However, the most notable perk remains the coveted blue checkmark next to a user’s profile, once reserved for verified identities but now extended to paid subscribers under Musk’s leadership.
In an attempt to boost subscriptions to X’s premium service, Musk’s company began removing “legacy” checkmarks last year. This move aimed to encourage prominent users to upgrade to the paid tier, but instead, it led to a decline in social standing for verified users. To address this issue, X allowed users to hide their checkmarks, hoping to drive more subscriptions for other features. However, the recent decision to grant free blue ticks to users has left many individuals, who never paid for verification, dismayed with their new status.
As the rollout of free verified statuses continues, users like journalist Marcy Wheeler and Wired writer Lauren Goode have expressed dissatisfaction with being “forcibly bluechecked” and receiving the checkmark without payment. The exact number of blue checkmarks granted and the level of unwanted verification remains unclear, as X, in line with Musk’s policy, has not provided any comments on the matter.
Overall, Musk’s reversal on the verified status policy reflects a significant shift in X’s approach to user verification and subscription services. The move has sparked mixed reactions among users and raised questions about the impact on the platform’s credibility and user experience moving forward.