Jim ChenApr 23, 2023

How Elon Musk Turned the Blue Checkmark Into a Scarlet Letter 🐳 A weekend-long masterclass in business failure

Most people, and especially those of us who used to be verified, do not want the new checkmark. We do not want it because having the checkmark is embarrassing. Musk has successfully made it a humiliating thing for someone to pay for Twitter.

The masses are balking at paying for Blue because they think Musk is offering an unworthy product and is also a dickhead.
https://slate.com/technology/2023/04/elon-musk-twitter-blue-checkmarks-verification-lebron-james.html

Elon Musk’s Weekend-Long Masterclass in Business Failure

No one wants to pay for Twitter’s checkmark. It’s no mystery why.

Slate
Show threadJim ChenApr 23, 2023

"Blue could be one dollar a month, and tons of people would still have zero interest, because they don’t like Musk. Musk has made a hard-right turn in his political presentation, and he has been incredibly unfunny about it. He has taken away people’s jobs and stiffed much smaller businesses on payments. He has surrounded himself with unappealing yes men who scold people for not wanting to buy what they’re selling. Musk lost when he put his Twitter popularity to a vote."

https://slate.com/technology/2023/04/elon-musk-twitter-blue-checkmarks-verification-lebron-james.html

Elon Musk’s Weekend-Long Masterclass in Business Failure

No one wants to pay for Twitter’s checkmark. It’s no mystery why.

Slate
Show threadJim ChenApr 24, 2023

"Verified" becomes a badge of dishonor after Twitter checkmark confusion 🐳 #FailWhale

Twitter users are pushing back against Elon Musk's new pay-for-verification policy, with many journalists and celebrities opting to cancel their subscriptions instead of keeping their blue checks out of embarrassment.

Why it matters: Internet verification used to be a badge of honor. Now that it's achievable to anyone who is willing to buy it, it's become a signal of desperation.

https://www.axios.com/2023/04/23/verified-checkmark-twitter-badge

"Verified" becomes a badge of dishonor

Accounts of late celebrities including Chadwick Boseman have been marked "subscribed to Twitter Blue."

Axios
Show threadJim Chen

Some financial accounting for Elon Fü¢king Musk 😘

Your effort to extort Blue subscription fees from 420,000 legacy verified accounts yielded 28 conversions. That's 99.99% failure. $2,688 marginal revenue, at a very conservative 3.6% discount rate, implies net present value just shy of $75,000. 🤑😝

If you try repeat this stunt about 27,000 times, you might cover your $20 billion in lost valuation since you bought Twitter. Good luck, Emerald Boy! 💎

https://twitter.com/chenx064/status/1650330831968190464?t=i_5-IT1mXdN4wF_H91l1cg&s=19

🌍 Јаков Минг Дановић 🌏 on Twitter

“Some financial accounting for @elonmusk 😘 Your effort to extort Blue subscription fees from 420,000 legacy verified accounts yielded 28 conversions. That's 99.99% failure. $2,688 marginal revenue, at a very conservative 3.6% discount rate, implies net present value of ~$75K 🤑😝”

Twitter
Apr 24, 2023 at 2:52amWeb
Show threadJim ChenApr 24, 2023

When Twitter revoked the badges of prominent Twitter users earlier this week, a much sharper contrast appeared between Twitter Blue subscribers with their blue badges, and prominent, formerly verified users — creators of high-quality content — with none.

Twitter Blue membership is now associated with Elon Musk fandom. Since Twitter Blue subscribers get boosts in prominence, blue checkmarks now feel like a swarm of pests interfering with enjoyment of the platform.

https://mashable.com/article/twitter-verifies-dril-mashable-block-the-blue

Twitter verifies users associated with Block the Blue, including dril and Mashable's Matt Binder

If you can't beat 'em verify 'em.

Mashable