Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022. In this short time, the controversial billionaire has managed to cause several minor and major scandals related to the platform. He started his rule in the company by laying off half of the employees. He then introduced a new way to verify accounts, which sparked a tsunami of fake news on the platform.
In the meantime, Musk wrote employees (those he hadn’t previously fired) an email giving them a choice: commit to the new “hardcore” Twitter or accept severance pay and leave.
The new owner of Twitter is also looking for ways to make the service a profitable business. Some time ago, Elon Musk launched a paid subscription to Twitter Blue. For a monthly fee of $7, users get a number of additional benefits – such as even less number advertisements served by the platform.
Musk “blackmails” Twitter users: Pay or disappear
Musk is clearly not happy with the number of Twitter Blue subscribers, as he has just announced that paying users of the service will receive new privileges.
Starting April 15, only verified accounts will be eligible for ‘For You’ referrals
– reported the billionaire.
The “For You” sections are the default view of Twitter’s latest content, which appears when you enter the website or launch the application. There are entries served by the platform’s algorithms based on our interests, followed accounts and interactions we enter.
Elon Musk’s decision means that on April 15, all entries whose authors have not purchased a Twitter Blue subscription will be removed from this section. How does the billionaire himself explain his idea?
This is the only realistic way to deal with advanced AI bot swarms taking control. Otherwise, it’s a lost battle
– emphasizes Elon Musk. In his entry, the head of Twitter also announced that also from April 15, only verified users will be able to vote in polls created on Twitter.
As you can see, Musk still can’t come to terms with his recent defeat. Recall that in December last year, the billionaire created a survey in which he asked platform users whether he should resign as head of Twitter. Most people voted for his resignation. Musk then claimed that the vote was manipulated by AI bots.
As expected, Elon Musk’s new announcements did not receive a positive response from the Twitter community. In the comments under the billionaire’s entry, users accuse him that it is not about fighting AI bots at all, but about increasing the number of Twitter Blue subscribers.
that so far only slightly more than 385,000 Twitter users have purchased a Twitter Blue subscription (their total number is about 450 million).
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
