BackElon Musk offers free blue ticks to personal favourites, including Stephen King and LeBron James
Twitter, owned by Elon Musk, removed blue verification badges from high-profile figures like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Bill Gates. Musk is interested in offering blue badges to some of his favorites, like Stephen King and LeBron James, for free.
PremiumElon Musk owned Twitter has recently removed blue verification badges from several notable figures, including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Bill Gates. However, Elon Musk has expressed interest in personally offering blue badges to some of his personal favorites for free. Among the individuals he has mentioned are American authors Stephen King and LeBron James. While James had previously voiced his reluctance to pay for a blue badge on Twitter, Musk has stated that he will cover the costs for a select few personalities.
Twitter has recently implemented a policy of removing blue verification badges from users who do not have a subscription to their premium service, Twitter Blue. However, it appears that some users are exempt from this rule, particularly celebrities such as LeBron James and Stephen King. King recently shared on Twitter that despite not subscribing to Twitter Blue, he still had a blue tick on his account and had not provided his phone number. In response, Musk commented, "You are welcome, namaste."
The Verge reported that an employee of Twitter extended a free subscription of Twitter Blue to LeBron James, despite his prior statement of not being willing to pay for verification on the platform.
LeBron James' media advisor, Adam Mendelsohn, has confirmed that James did not pay for verification on Twitter. Nevertheless, Elon Musk appears to be involved in the situation and has announced that he will personally cover the costs of a few Twitter Blue subscriptions, including those for Stephen King and William Shatner.
The NBA player has been outspoken about his refusal to pay the $5 fee for verification on Twitter. However, despite his stance, his Twitter profile displays a blue badge, indicating that he is verified. The text that appears when hovering over the badge clarifies that his account has been verified because he has a subscription to Twitter Blue and has verified his phone number.
Elon Musk's long-promised move to strip free blue ticks from Twitter users swung into action on Thursday, dividing the have-paids from the have-nots.
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