<\/p>\n
Elon Musk insists Twitter needs to charge for its \u201cblue tick\u201d to battle bots and trolls.<\/p>\n
The Tesla boss \u2013 who completed his $44\u00a0billion takeover of the platform last week \u2013 is looking to charge users to have a blue tick on their account by making verification part of the Twitter Blue subscription, with reports suggesting the fee could go from $4.99 a month to $19.99.<\/p>\n
This has angered many users of the app, including iconic horror writer Stephen King, who insisted he would quit if that was the case.<\/p>\n
He tweeted: \u201c$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I\u2019m gone like Enron.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elon has since responded to the \u201cCarrie\u201d author, saying the move was being made because the platform couldn\u2019t \u201crely entirely on advertisers\u201d for its income.<\/p>\n
\nWe need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?<\/p>\n
\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Suggesting a smaller fee, he wrote: \u201cWe need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?\u201d<\/p>\n
He also promised to expound on his reasons for the move.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI will explain the rationale in longer form before this is implemented. It is the only way to defeat the bots and trolls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the sale of Twitter was finalised on October\u00a027, the 51-year-old business mogul shared his vision for the platform.<\/p>\n
He tweeted in a message called \u201cDear Twitter Advertisers\u201d: \u201cThe reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nDear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com\/GMwHmInPAS<\/a><\/p>\n