Elon Musk's Twitter purge of blue check marks, intended to discourage high-profile users from availing themselves of the paid verification service, has taken an unexpected turn. Instead of purging legacy blue checks as promised, the platform targeted a single account - that of the New York Times - without warning.
The Times' main account lost its coveted blue verification mark over the weekend after posting a meme about the outlet's decision not to pay for verification. Musk subsequently took to Twitter to lash out at the publication, labeling their coverage as "boring" and "propaganda".
This move highlights how Musk often appears to guide decisions on the platform by whim rather than policy. The change has also created confusion among users, particularly high-profile accounts that have long been a key selling point for the platform.
The New York Times' decision not to pay for verification seems to have caught Musk off guard, but it's unclear why the publication doesn't have a gold "organizations" check mark, like other reputable news outlets. The Times' other accounts, such as those for its arts and travel content, remained verified after the blue check was removed.
The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of reserving verification for paid users in reducing impersonation on the platform. Experts warn that muddying the reason accounts are verified could risk making it easier for scammers to target high-profile users.
Musk's motivations behind this move remain unclear, but it appears to be driven by a desire to drive revenue through the paid Twitter Blue subscription service. The billionaire has previously stated that changes to the platform should treat everyone equally, but his actions suggest otherwise.
The Times' main account lost its coveted blue verification mark over the weekend after posting a meme about the outlet's decision not to pay for verification. Musk subsequently took to Twitter to lash out at the publication, labeling their coverage as "boring" and "propaganda".
This move highlights how Musk often appears to guide decisions on the platform by whim rather than policy. The change has also created confusion among users, particularly high-profile accounts that have long been a key selling point for the platform.
The New York Times' decision not to pay for verification seems to have caught Musk off guard, but it's unclear why the publication doesn't have a gold "organizations" check mark, like other reputable news outlets. The Times' other accounts, such as those for its arts and travel content, remained verified after the blue check was removed.
The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of reserving verification for paid users in reducing impersonation on the platform. Experts warn that muddying the reason accounts are verified could risk making it easier for scammers to target high-profile users.
Musk's motivations behind this move remain unclear, but it appears to be driven by a desire to drive revenue through the paid Twitter Blue subscription service. The billionaire has previously stated that changes to the platform should treat everyone equally, but his actions suggest otherwise.
! So he's trying to make money off Twitter Blue and just goes ahead and removes blue checks from like, every single account except for The New York Times' 
? And now they're all confused because who needs verification anyway? 
The Times' meme game is strong though 
. I mean, if Musk can't handle a little shade from the press, maybe he should just stick to SpaceX and leave Twitter to the pros 
.
i mean i get it, they're a big deal and all that but come on! what's next? getting rid of the blue check for other reputable news outlets just because they didn't shell out the cash for premium verification?
either way, it's a total mess and i'm not sure anyone's happy about it 
I'm just wondering what Elon Musk is even trying to achieve here 
. It's like he thinks he can control who gets blue checked just by tweeting at them 
And now we're left with a whole bunch of confused users wondering how their verification status works 
. Maybe Musk should just stick to what he's good at: making electric cars 
. Leave the Twitter management to someone else 
. Maybe Elon just wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine after all those times they're like "Musk is wrong" 
... I just don't get why Elon is being so dramatic about this 
. It's like, come on, man 
I'm low-key worried about how this is gonna affect all the high-profile accounts 
. Musk says he wants everything to be equal 
, but actions speak louder than words 
... this just feels like another money grab 
i'm not sure what elon's endgame is here but it feels like he's just trying to make money off of us no matter what 
. Like, what's up with targeting one account without warning? That doesn't sound like a fair policy change to me... It's all about driving sales of that paid Twitter Blue service, and honestly, it feels like Musk is just trying to play favorites 
. It's all about the benjamins, right? Musk just wants to get more revenue out of that paid Twitter Blue thing 
because now scammers can just go after them thinking they're legit. and let's be real, this whole thing feels like a huge PR stunt to get people to sign up for that paid Twitter Blue service 
anyway, i think the whole thing is a bit shady. Musk says he wants to drive revenue through paid Twitter Blue, but if that means messing with how verification works, then maybe he should rethink his strategy 
. I mean, what's next? Removing blue checks from everyone who wants them because they tweeted something funny? It's just too much for me 
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