Elon Musk expects staff remaining at Twitter to work ‘long hours at high intensity’
(Picture: PA Wire)Elon Musk has confirmed that Twitter Blue verification will return on November 29. The subscription, which gives users a blue verification badge for £6.99 per month, was swiftly suspended following its launch earlier this month after pranksters and scammers used it to impersonate brands and celebs.
On Tuesday, Musk tweeted that the relaunch date gives Twitter time to ensure that the feature is “rock solid”. He added that Twitter Blue users will not be able to change their verified name until it is confirmed to meet the terms of service.
Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2022
Twitter introduced its revamped Blue service on iOS in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on November 9. The launch was shortlived, however, as the option to sign up dissapeared the following day amid an outbreak of fake accounts impersonating and parodying high- profile users, such as former US President George W Bush and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Concurrently, Twitter restored grey Official badges for large organisations on some profiles less than two days after Musk had halted their introduction, describing it as “an aesthetic nightmare”.
Musk has yet to confirm what the new and improved version of Twitter Blue Verified will include. The feature is also used to authenticate those in the public eye, including celebs and heads of state, brands and journalists.
Musk’s reign as Twitter CEO has been nothing short of chaotic. The Tesla and SpaceX chief has already laid off 50% of the company’s workforce, had public quarrels with staff members on Twitter, resulting in the firing of at least one employee, and axed more than 4,000 contractors. Musk has reportedly given remaining staff members an ultimatum to be “extremely hardcore”, working “long hours at high intensity” or else depart with three months’ severance pay.
