Elon Musk responds to Stephen King about Twitter verification charge
Twitter verification could reportedly cost $20 a month
Twitter owner Elon Musk's arrival creates change, chaos on the internet
The Heritage Foundation's Jake Denton breaks down some of the biggest changes that Elon Musk is implementing at Twitter on 'The Evening Edit.'
New Twitter owner Elon Musk replied to author Stephen King on Tuesday after the best-selling author complained about reports the company would charge a fee of $20 a month for verification.
Musk said over the weekend that the verification system would be "revamped," although it remains unclear what that will eventually look like for users.
King had some strong words, blasting the idea of requiring payment: "$20 a month to keep my blue check? F--- that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron."
"We need to pay the bills somehow!" Musk replied. "Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?"
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A smartphone screen shows the timeline in the Twitter app. (Photo by Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images) ((Photo by Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
In a follow-up tweet, Musk said that he would explain the rationale for the payment in "longer form" before it is implemented.
"It is the only way to defeat the bots & trolls," he said in a tweet, to which King did not respond.
American writer Stephen King poses during a portrait session held on November 16, 2013, in Paris, France. (Photo by Ulf Andersen/Getty Images) ((Photo by Ulf Andersen/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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In a Monday poll on the social media platform, longtime Musk associate Jason Calacanis, a tech investor, asked users how much they would pay to get a blue check.
This illustration photo taken May 13, 2022, displays Elon Musk's Twitter account with a Twitter logo in the background in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images) ((Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
The options were $5, $10 or $15 a month, in addition to not paying at all.
More than 81% of respondents said they would not pay.
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"Interesting," Musk said.
Twitter Blue is currently $4.99 a month.