Twitter may charge $20 per month for blue tick verification badge

Twitter’s new boss Elon Musk, who took over the social media platform, last week, is reportedly working towards some major changes to be introduced in the Twitter Blue subscription and even the verification process which provides a ‘Blue tick’ to verified accounts.   

Twitter Blue, introduced last year, allows users to edit and undo their tweets, upload videos in 1080p, and see what articles are being shared the most in their network.  

As per a news report by ‘The Verge’ the Chief Twit has said that the verification process on the platform, which adds a ‘blue tick’ next to the profile name, needed rework. The report further said, Blue tick may soon be limited to Twitter Blue members including Twitter’s subscription that brings extra features like edit and undo tweets. The company is also reportedly planning to increase the Blue fee to $19.99 (roughly ₹1,600). Also, users who are already verified will get 90 days to subscribe to Twitter Blue in order to keep the blue tick on their profile.  

Twitter Blue is currently an opt-in, paid monthly subscription that offers exclusive access to premium features. Twitter claims this will let you customise your Twitter experience.   

The subscription service has been launched in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is to be seen how Musk plans to both roll out this service globally while changing the entire payment structure. In the eligible regions, Twitter Blue is available for in-app purchase on Twitter for iOS and Android phones.  

The report also pointed out that Twitter engineers are given a deadline to revamp the Twitter verification process or they will lose their jobs. 

Musk formally acquired Twitter last week and fired some of the key executives, including chief executive officer (CEO) Parag Agrawal, who took the role in late November last year. Other notable figures, such as Twitter chief financial officer (CFO) Ned Segal and policy chief Vijaya Gadda have also been laid off. 

Meanwhile, a separate report noted that Musk is planning to trim the Twitter workforce in the coming days, but the exact details remain unclear. It was earlier reported that the Tesla chief may lay off 75% of Twitter staff to reduce the operational cost, which Musk, however, denied later.