Topline
Twitter re-verified many users with massive followings over the weekend, just days after purging the site's famed blue verification check marks from accounts that don’t pay for Twitter Blue, leading some celebrities and journalists—and at least one major university—to insist they didn't sign up for Twitter owner Elon Musk's $8-per-month subscription service.
The gold checkmark on Twitter Verified account on Twitter is seen displayed on a phone screen in ... [+]
Key Facts
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman on Sunday shared a screenshot of her verified account, along with a disclosure saying she has subscribed to Twitter Blue and has verified her phone number, writing “(Did not subscribe).”
Comedian and actor Ben Schwartz questioned Sunday why his blue check mark returned, tweeting “I didn’t subscribe to anything.”
Actor Elijah Wood noticed Sunday his blue check mark reappeared just three days after he bid farewell to it, while astrophysicist and TV personality Neil deGrasse Tyson sounded more bemused than annoyed when his verification was suddenly restored: “The Universe brims with mysteries,” deGrasse Tyson wrote Sunday.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology posted on Saturday: “We did not subscribe to Twitter Blue.”
Popular user Dril—who is famous for posting absurdist jokes but has never revealed their identity—posted that they received a blue check mark after tweeting using the hashtag “#BlockTheBlueChecks,” though it has since been removed from their account.
After posting about Dril, Chrissy Teigen said she received a blue check, comparing it to “the movie It Follows”—it’s since been removed from her account because Teigen changed her name, she told podcaster and former Obama Administration speechwriter Jon Favreau, who was also irritated by the return of his check mark.
Tangent
After economist and Times columnist Paul Krugman said he “had nothing to do” with his blue check reappearing, Twitter owner Musk tweeted a photo of a crying baby at him. Musk has said he is personally paying for the verification status of some celebrities and high-profile figures, including Stephen King, LeBron James and William Schatner.
Surprising Fact
Living celebrities aren’t the only ones whose verification status has returned. Accounts belonging to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (who died in 2013), chef Anthony Bourdain (who died in 2018) and singer Chester Bennington (who died in 2017) all have blue check marks and notes claiming they subscribed to Twitter Blue.
What We Don’t Know
How many followers an account needs to be re-verified. Some have speculated that Twitter restored blue check marks to accounts with over 1 million followers—though some accounts without this quantity of followers have received a blue check.
Key Background
In an apparent move to increase subscriptions to Twitter Blue, Musk on Thursday removed so-called “legacy” blue check marks from most accounts whose identities had been verified before he took over the company, unless users subscribe to Twitter Blue. In addition to verification, Twitter Blue subscribers receive other perks for their $8 per month subscription fee, like the ability to use two-step authentication safety features. Musk has threatened to upend Twitter’s old practice of only verifying notable accounts since buying the social media platform last year, calling it a “lords & peasants system”—but the change to paid verification is also driven by revenue. Shortly after he purchased Twitter for $44 billion, Musk reportedly warned staff the social media platform might go bankrupt without “significant subscription revenue,” especially as advertising revenue dipped in the months following Musk’s takeover.
Contra
With so many high-profile entities on Twitter left unverified, and with the ability to be verified available for purchase, many have shared their fears about impersonation on the platform. When Musk first started offering blue check marks to Twitter Blue subscribers last year, users created fake accounts for LeBron James, Donald Trump and pharma company Eli Lilly.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk’s net worth at $175 billion, mostly due to his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX, making him the second-wealthiest person on Earth.
Further Reading
Twitter Removes Blue Checkmarks From Verified Accounts—Unless Users Pay (Forbes)