Twitter announced that it will remove “legacy verified checksmarks” on April 1, 2023. Users who want to keep the “blue tick” will need to sign up for Twitter Blue if they wish to keep their “blue tick”.
Elon Musk was the first to make major decisions after taking over Twitter’s helm. He introduced Twitter Blue, a paid service which offers the coveted blue tick and allows users to edit and publish longer tweets. He stated that many of the legacy verified checksmarks had been obtained by corrupt means, and promised that they would eventually be removed.
Organizations that have obtained Twitter’s verified checks marks through the old process will lose their checkmarks (gold or grey for government). They must also subscribe to Twitter’s “Verified Organizations” service. Subscriptions cost $1,000 per month, plus $50 for each additional affiliate in the United States. The Verified Organizations portal, which is not available via Twitter Blue, is only available online. This means that billing and management are only possible through the portal, as opposed to Twitter.
Many users reacted to Twitter’s announcement tweet with disapproval, skepticism, and some even questioning if it was Musk’s elaborate April Fools Day joke. Musk has a history with joking with his followers. Although it is possible that this was another Musk-inspired attention-grabbing stunt, it seems more likely that Twitter’s decision was genuine and users will lose their legacy checksmarks in April.
It’s pointless to turn Verified badges into “I Have $11/month” badges. JustinThind, a Twitter user, stated that everyone can have them, even burners, and why would anyone want them.
Musk stated in a memo sent to Twitter employees last fall that the company would need to get roughly half of its revenue from subscription services. Musk wrote that Twitter would likely not be able to survive the economic downturn if it does not have significant subscription revenue.
