Don't want to pay $20 for a Twitter blue tick? How about $8, asks Musk

Elon Musk has reportedly given an ultimatum to the employees to roll out monthly subscription pack for Twitter Blue by November 7

Twitter may soon roll out paid verification for its users. Elon Musk, who took over the social media platform last week, has asked employees to roll out by November 7 a $19.99 monthly subscription pack for Twitter Blue, a report by The Verge said on Monday. However, according to a latest tweet by Musk, the subscription rate may be fixed at $8. 

On a tweet by writer Stephen King objectioning to $20, Musk wrote, "We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?"

We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022

Currently, Twitter Blue can be availed at $4.99 per month and provides additional features like ad-free articles and a home screen icon that has a different colour. 

For a $19.99 subscription, or $8, as the case may be, Twitter may offer paid verification. This would be the first time when the users would be able to actually purchase the "Blue Tick". Musk, on Sunday, tweeted that the company is "revamping" the current verification process. 

On Sunday, Musk also reportedly told its employees that they must meet the deadline or "pack up and leave", The Verge reported. 

Musk, on his first day at the company on Thursday, fired the top management including chief executive officer (CEO) Parag Agrawal and Vijaya Gadde, the legal affairs and policy chief. 

Media reports have claimed that Musk may soon lay off as much as 50 per cent of the staff at Twitter. He may also soon introduce a mechanism to reduce the prevalence of bots on Twitter. Also, he is keen on making half of the company's overall revenue through subscriptions.