Twitter CEO Elon, Musk finally began to purge blue verification check marks fom users who have not signed up for its subscription service on Thursday April 20, 2023. The move comes as owner/business magnet aims to overhaul the social media company to maximize profit. Some high-profile users who lost their blue checks on Thursday includes Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates and former President Donald Trump.
Also, Nigeria President elect Bola Tinubu, Presidential candidate of the Labour party (LP), Peter Obi and the Peoples democratic party Presidential candidate (PDP), Atiku Abubakar have all been stripped of the coveted blue verification checkmark. Some Nigerian celebrities such as Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tony Elumelu and more all lost their verifications.
In addition, some official U.S. government agencies, and a several news organizations have lost their verified status.The social media platform is currently charging a monthly subscription of $8 per month or $84 per year in available countries for the honor of receiving the legacy blue checks.
Mr. Musk who purchased the company in 2022 for $44bn and has struggled to make it profitable, decided to carry out his plan after months of threatening to remove what he called “legacy blue checks.” If you want it, you gotta pay for it.
