As promised, Twitter is getting rid of verified badges. Some big-name users, however, have received them for free, with Musk covering the costs.
Twitter has started taking away the verified blue badge from accounts that aren’t paying for a Twitter Blue subscription. From journalists and businessmen like Bill Gates to global icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo and even Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the blue tick is gone without any discrimination, it seems. But it looks like Elon Musk has made a few exceptions, right from his own pocket.
I’m paying for a few personally
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023
Musk has shared on Twitter that he is paying the Twitter Blue fee for some accounts from his own pocket. According to The Verge, Twitter has emailed an unspecified number of popular with the offer of letting them keep their blue checkmark without having to pay $8 per month toward a Twitter Blue subscription. Among them is said to be NBA superstar LeBron James, who was reportedly told via an email that the company is extending him a «complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue» on behalf of Musk.
