Billionaire and new owner of social media platform Twitter, Elon Musk, has rescinded an earlier decision which will see verified users on the platform pay a monthly subscription fee of $19.99 per month. The move comes after some backlash and concerns over Musk’s true intention in taking over the platform just a few days after purchasing it for $44 billion on October 27, 2022. In a related development, Elon Musk has now said the product which is being developed and dubbed as ‘Twitter Blue’ will see ‘blue checked’ users pay a monthly charge of $8. He however indicated a change in the policy which only had certain specific personalities given a verified status on the platform. “Twitter’s current lords and peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bu%#*@it. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Elon Musk wrote on Tuesday, November 1. "Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity," he added. In a separate tweet on the subject, Elon Musk explained, “This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators. There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians.”

Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022

You will also get: - Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam - Ability to post long video & audio - Half as many ads— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022 Meanwhile, Elon Musks' takeover of Twitter has begun to have a ripple effect on staff at the company and some users of the platform. After firing Twitter Chief Executive Officer, Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer, Ned Segal and Head of Policy, Vijaya Gadde, other employees have either resigned or have been fired from their respective positions as Elon Musk reportedly seeks to cut down about 70 percent of staff According to a Bloomberg report on October 28, Elon Musk is expected to take over the company as CEO and reverse lifetime bans on users who had violated the platform’s policies. Also, the fate of employees located in Twitter’s offices in key parts of Africa is yet to be known. The company, about a year ago, decided to expand its reach within Africa under its former executives and founder, Jack Dorsey. MA/FNOQ