In this photo illustration Elon Musk Twitter seen displayed on a smartphone screen with Twitter logo in the background in Athens, Greece on October 30, 2022. Elon Musk begins his Twitter ownership with firings. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Just days into the new leadership of Elon Musk, Twitter is already implementing major changes, with the “Chief Twit” already given employees his first ultimatum: meet the deadline for introducing paid verification or face termination.
Under the new directive, Twitter Blue – the company’s optional $4.99 a month subscription service that offers additional features – would be expanded to include verifications for users, The Verge reports.
The social media network is planning on charging $19.99 for the new Twitter Blue subscription service, with currently verified users having 90 days to subscribe or lose their blue checkmark.
On Sunday, the employees working on the project were told that if they don’t meet a November 7 deadline, they will be fired. That same day, Musk tweeted about revamping the entire verification process.
“The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk tweeted on Sunday.
In the months leading up to his acquisition of Twitter, the Tesla CEO has made it clear that he planned on overhauling the verification process as well as how the platform handles bots.
News of changes to Twitter’s verification process was first reported by Platformer‘s Casey Newton. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the social media network did not immediately respond for requests for comment.
Barely three days into his tenure as “Chief Twit,” Musk has been making widespread changes throughout the company since acquiring it on Thursday, the first of which as changing its homepage for users who have logged out.
Musk has even brought in Tesla engineers to Twitter as advisors, with mass layoffs expected in the near future – namely aimed at middle managers and engineers who haven’t recently contributed to the code base, according to The Verge.
The outlet reports that managers have already began creating lists of employees to fire, with cuts expected to begin this week.
Since Musk’s acquisition of the company last week, employees have been working overnights and throughout the weekend to meet deadlines.
Twitter Blue launched nearly a year ago in an effort to provide ad-free articles amongst other minor account upgrades.
Advertising remains the lions share of Twitter’s revenue, despite offering paid subscription services. Musk says he is looking to grow the subscription base to make up half of the company’s overall revenue.
