Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, has recently made headlines by restoring blue check marks to popular users overnight. This move comes after Musk had initially announced plans to remove legacy blue checks following his acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, criticizing the company's previous account-verification policy as 'corrupt and nonsensical.'
In April 2023, Musk implemented a new policy where users were required to subscribe to X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue) starting at $8 per month to retain their verified badges. However, in a surprising turn of events, Musk decided to restore the blue check marks for high-profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Oprah Winfrey, and Beyoncé to prevent confusion over the authenticity of their accounts.
Furthermore, Musk hinted at a new policy on March 27, stating that accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers would receive Premium features for free, while those with over 5,000 followers would get Premium+ for free. This policy seems to have been implemented on Wednesday night, as several 'influential members of the community' took to X to clarify that they did not pay for a Premium subscription to regain their blue checks.
Notable figures such as 'Community' actor Yvette Nicole Brown and 'American Fiction' star Jeffrey Wright expressed surprise at the return of their blue checks without payment. Some users, like 'The Wire' creator David Simon, expressed their discontent with the situation in colorful language.
Representatives for X have not yet responded to requests for comment on this recent development.
