Elon Musk, the owner of X, has decided to give away free premium features to some of the social network’s most popular users. This includes the coveted blue verification checkmarks that were once only available to those who paid for X’s premium monthly subscription. Musk announced last week that he would be giving these features to users with more than 2,500 verified followers. Users started noticing the blue checkmarks on their profiles this week.
Many users who received the blue checkmarks were surprised by the change and some even received notifications from the company explaining the update. Previously, Twitter’s old management used the blue badge to distinguish and verify the identities of notable accounts. Musk had criticized this practice in the past, referring to it as a “lords and peasants” system. After taking over the company, he removed all legacy blue checkmarks, making users pay for them instead.
However, it seems Musk has had a change of heart as he is now adopting a similar strategy to the old management. This shift in approach comes 18 months after Musk officially took over X. The company has not provided any further comments on this decision.
