I think his view on verification also ties into the question of monetization on the platform, and I think it's worth noting that most of the tech/VC types in Elon's circle view Twitter as a *business tool*.
I've seen some comments about how Elon is "making his biggest content creators pay for the right to create free content for his platform"... but I think how Elon and the tech guys view it is that content creation on Twitter gets monetized by creators *outside* of Twitter, by way of being more hireable for traditional media types, being in on more funding rounds/speaking at more conferences for VC types, more electable as a politician, etc. From that POV, a blue check is basically the same thing as a personal URL, it's a basic cost of doing business and of course you'll pay for it.
"The vast majority of people who are on Twitter don’t derive much or any material value from the platform, which, according to Twitter’s most recent public filings, prices their attention to advertisers at about two dollars a month. The few that do will soon be given a choice to make based on admittedly imperfect information: Is whatever they’re doing there worth it? And will it stay that way? By asking heavily invested users to pay to remain or become verified and to remain or become visible — to maintain their brand, whatever it is — Twitter is treating this group of users almost exactly the way it has treated its other most important customers for years: advertisers."
I think his view on verification also ties into the question of monetization on the platform, and I think it's worth noting that most of the tech/VC types in Elon's circle view Twitter as a *business tool*.
I've seen some comments about how Elon is "making his biggest content creators pay for the right to create free content for his platform"... but I think how Elon and the tech guys view it is that content creation on Twitter gets monetized by creators *outside* of Twitter, by way of being more hireable for traditional media types, being in on more funding rounds/speaking at more conferences for VC types, more electable as a politician, etc. From that POV, a blue check is basically the same thing as a personal URL, it's a basic cost of doing business and of course you'll pay for it.
Yeah, this is totally correct, and John Herrman makes a version of the same point in his great NYMag column today (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/11/why-elon-musk-wants-to-make-twitter-users-pay.html):
"The vast majority of people who are on Twitter don’t derive much or any material value from the platform, which, according to Twitter’s most recent public filings, prices their attention to advertisers at about two dollars a month. The few that do will soon be given a choice to make based on admittedly imperfect information: Is whatever they’re doing there worth it? And will it stay that way? By asking heavily invested users to pay to remain or become verified and to remain or become visible — to maintain their brand, whatever it is — Twitter is treating this group of users almost exactly the way it has treated its other most important customers for years: advertisers."