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Elon Musk stirred controversy Wednesday night by reintroducing the blue checkmark on X, a move that recalled an old Twitter policy in which accounts with a certain level of status automatically received verification.
Now, accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers receive a blue checkmark for free. This move left thousands of influential X users who had previously decided not to pay for the blue badge as a mark of dissent against Musk’s changes to the platform very dismayed upon discovering they had been marked with Elon’s stamp of approval, prompting them to clarify that they did not pay for this privilege.
A message from X stated, “As an influential member of the community on X, we’ve given you a complimentary subscription to X Premium subject to X Premium Terms by selecting this notice.”
In a previous tweet, Musk said that accounts with over 2,500 verified subscribers or paid Premium or Premium+ blue tick subscribers would receive Premium features for free. In contrast, those with over 5,000 followers would receive the ad-free Premium+ tier at no cost.
This revival of free blue checkmarks has occurred over a year since Musk introduced paid verification services in 2022. While users with fewer than 2,500 followers can still pay for premium features at $8 a month, the blue checkmark’s reputation suffered when it became a paid feature. What was once a status symbol quickly transformed into a mark that users financially supported Musk for increased reach.
Users can still opt out of the blue checkmark by navigating to the “profile customization” page within X’s settings, retaining all free features without the associated embarrassment.
However, this decision puts influential X users in an awkward position. Many popular users have been paying for premium features for the past two years and are now expected to stop simply because Elon decided the experiment wasn’t working out.
Moreover, the blue checkmark may no longer hold the same value it once did.
The reason behind this change remains unclear, but it could signify Musk’s efforts to boost engagement on X.
With more users gaining access to premium features such as longer posts, bookmark folders, Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, and an ad revenue-sharing program, reversing verification policies is the latest puzzling development on the platform’s ever-evolving landscape.
As a result, many users who regained their blue checkmarks aren’t necessarily pleased about it, given its tarnished reputation in many cases.
