Sun 10 April 2022:
Elon Musk, the largest stakeholder in Twitter Inc, has proposed a number of reforms to the social media giant’s Blue premium subscription plan.
Musk revealed how the billionaire business magnate could transform Twitter, from prohibiting advertising to lowering its price.
It comes just days after he revealed he has a 9.2% stake in Twitter, making him a member of the company’s board of directors.
In response, Twitter spokesperson Adrian Zamora said “Our policy decisions are not determined by the board or shareholders, and we have no plans to reverse any policy decisions.”
Musk has 81 million Twitter followers. This makes him one of the most popular figures on the platform rivaling pop stars like Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga.
In a recent tweet he said, “Price should probably be ~$2/month, but paid 12 months up front & account doesn’t get checkmark for 60 days (watch for credit card chargebacks) & suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam.”
Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays $3/month) should get an authentication checkmark
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022
“And no ads,” he added. “The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive.”
Musk has also called “crypto spam bots,” which search tweets for cryptocurrency related keywords then pose as customer support to empty user crypto wallets, the “most annoying problem on Twitter.”
He also launched a Twitter poll to see if the company’s San Francisco headquarters should be turned into a homeless shelter because “no one shows up (to work there).”
It received more than 300,000 votes in less than an hour, with 90% of followers voting yes.
In the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Twitter Blue is now accessible. It was first released in June of 2021.
Twitter announced its first subscription service, which provides “exclusive access to premium features” for a monthly fee.
Several employees who spoke to Reuters said Musk’s views on moderation could weaken years-long efforts to make Twitter a place of healthy discourse, and might allow trolling and mob attacks to flourish.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s ban from Facebook and Twitter, the billionaire tweeted that many people would be unhappy with US tech companies acting “as the de facto arbiter of free speech”.
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