UPDATED, April 5, 2023: The story was updated to include the cost for Verified Organizations – $1,000 a month.

Twitter is back in the headlines as the Elon Musk-owned social media platform makes changes that revolve around “verified” status. Monday evening, Musk tweeted that, starting April 15, only verified accounts will be eligible to be included in “For You” recommendations. Users must also be verified to conduct a poll. Musk said this is the only way to handle AI bots taking over accounts. Musk later clarified that users will receive recommendations from people they follow.

Legacy blue checkmark system shuts down April 1

Effective April 1, Twitter is shutting down its legacy blue checkmark program. Only active subscribers to the premium Twitter Blue program are eligible to receive the coveted blue checkmark. Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds blue checkmarks to user accounts and gives them early access to new features. For individuals in the U.S., Twitter Blue pricing is $8 a month, or $84 a year, for web use. Twitter Blue is $11 a month, or $114.99 a year, for use on iOS and Android devices. For organizations to be verified, the price tag goes up to $1,000 a month.

In addition, Twitter accounts must meet the following criteria:

• Accounts must have a display name and profile photo.
• Accounts must have been active within the prior 30 days and be a Twitter Blue subscriber.
• Accounts must be 90 days or older when they subscribe and have a confirmed phone number.
• Accounts must have had no recent changes to their display name, profile name or user name.
• Accounts cannot show any signs of being misleading or deceptive.
• Accounts cannot show any signs of engaging in platform manipulation or spam.

The official Twitter account, which proudly displays a gold checkmark. Also tweeted about the upcoming changes, including how organizations can apply for verified status.

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Twitter is worth less than half Elon Musk paid for it

Last week, Twitter owner Elon Musk valued Twitter at approximately $20 billion, less than half of the $44 billion price tag, reports The New York Times. Musk shared the information in an email to employees that outlined a new stock compensation program. Musk said the company needed to cut costs dramatically, including layoffs, to be more efficient and sustainable long-term.

“Twitter is being shaped rapidly,” Musk said.

Some of Twitter’s source code was leaked

Adding to Musk’s woes, part of Twitter’s source code was leaked online on GitHub, who took down the leaked code when requested. Though many of the details are not being shared, it is believed that the code may have been leaked several months ago, and the leak was recently discovered. In a filing in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California, Twitter seeks protection for their intellectual property, the identification of the person who leaked the code, and anyone who downloaded the code, says The Times. Some suspect that the code was leaked by a former employee of Twitter.

Insider Take

We knew it was too good to be true when Twitter seemed to fade from the headlines. They are back – and in a big way. Those with the legacy blue checkmark, including William Shatner and Benjamin Dreyer, are upset that they’ll lose their verified status unless they subscribe. We believe that Musk is trying to plug the holes in the ship with subscription dollars. While Twitter may make some money from these decisions, they have made a mockery of the verified checkmark. Now, instead of being truly vetted, you only need to be a subscriber to be a “verified” user. That signifies a cash grab, not wanting to improve the user experience.

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