Twitter Blue ‘probably’ coming back end of next week, Musk says

Earlier in the day, Musk said his companies will be well-positioned in 2023 despite the possibility of a tough economy.

WHICH ELON MUSK was behind the seemingly out-of-the-blue decision to buy Twitter? (photo credit: JOE SKIPPER/REUTERS)
WHICH ELON MUSK was behind the seemingly out-of-the-blue decision to buy Twitter?
(photo credit: JOE SKIPPER/REUTERS)

Twitter Blue will probably "come back end of next week," billionaire owner Elon Musk said in a tweet on Saturday.

Twitter on Friday paused its recently announced $8 blue check subscription service on Friday as fake accounts mushroomed.

The coveted blue check mark was previously reserved for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures. But a subscription option, open to anyone prepared to pay, was rolled out earlier this week to help Twitter grow revenue as Musk fights to retain advertisers

Several users reported on Friday that the new subscription option for the blue verification check mark had disappeared, while a source told Reuters the offering has been dropped.

The 'official' label

"To combat impersonation, we've added an 'Official' label to some accounts," Twitter's support account - which has the "official" tag - tweeted on Friday.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves Manhattan federal court after a hearing on his fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York City, US, April 4, 2019. (credit: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON/FILE PHOTO)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves Manhattan federal court after a hearing on his fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York City, US, April 4, 2019. (credit: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON/FILE PHOTO)

The label was originally introduced on Wednesday - but "killed" by Musk just hours later.

On Thursday, in his first companywide email, Musk warned that Twitter would not be able to "survive the upcoming economic downturn" if it failed to boost subscription revenue to offset falling advertising income, three people who saw the message told Reuters.