Musk weighs drastic plan to lock Twitter behind paywall

Elon Musk is reportedly considering charging everyone to use Twitter after major advertisers began boycotting the platform.

Twitter owner Elon Musk is reportedly considering a plan to place the entire platform behind a paywall after major brands began pulling advertising dollars.

The drastic move comes just days after Musk announced a $US8 ($A12) monthly fee for verification check marks as part of the Twitter Blue subscription service.

The billionaire CEO has been in discussions with investor David Sacks about the proposal that would require all users, not just those wanting verification badges, to pay to access the website, according to The Verge.

One plan, being considered in response to companies like General Mills and Pfizer pulling their marketing campaigns, would give users limited access to Twitter but require a subscription for unrestricted use.

Elon Musk is reportedly considering a plan to lock Twitter behind a paywall. Picture: AFP

The model mirrors the paywall used by major publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, which give users a limited number of articles for free before placing content behind a paywall.

While it was unclear how serious or far along in discussions the plan was, The Verge said potential implementation of the move “does not appear imminent”, as the engineering team is currently focused on the launch of expanded verification.

As Twitter consider new revenue streams amid the advertising exodus, Musk posted user date showing the platform’s growth at “all-time highs”.

“I just hope the servers don’t melt!”, Musk said.

The data showed Twitter’s monetizable daily user (mDAU) growth accelerate by more than 20 per cent since Musk’s takeover.

pic.twitter.com/pgTSY1zIdc

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 8, 2022

MUSK THREATENS TO BOOT CELEBRITIES

Elon Musk’s first Twitter moderation change has called for permanent bans on anyone, including celebrities, if they change their Twitter handle to impersonate another account, even if temporarily.

US comedian Kathy Griffin’s Twitter account was suspended on Sunday, local time, after she changed her handle to “Elon Musk” and posted a scathing comment about the platform’s new CEO.

In response, Musk tweeted: “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended”.

Kathy Griffin. Picture: Supplied

Elon Musk. Picture: AFP

Musk, who is the platform’s new owner, issued the warning after some celebrities changed their Twitter display names to ‘Elon Musk’ in reaction to the billionaire’s decision to offer blue check-marked verified accounts to anyone in exchange for an $US8 ($A12) per month subscription fee.

While Twitter previously issued warnings before suspensions, now that it is rolling out, now “there will be no warning.”

Actress Valerie Bertinelli briefly used Musk’s screen name, posting a series of tweets in support of Democratic candidates for the US midterm elections before switching back to her real name Twitter handle.

Actress Valerie Bertinelli has spoken out about the changes at Twitter. Picture: AP Photo/NBC, Peter Kramer

“Okey-dokey. I’ve had fun and I think I made my point,” she tweeted afterwards.

Bertinelli noted the original purpose of the blue checkmark, which has always been free.

“It simply meant your identity was verified. Scammers would have a harder time impersonating you. That no longer applies. Good luck out there!” she added.

Whoopi Goldberg says she is quitting Twitter immediately and said Elon Musk had made a “mess.” Picture: AFP

On Monday, local time, Whoopi Goldberg announced on The View that she’s leaving Twitter and called Musk’s week-long tenure as CEO “a mess.”

“I’m getting off today because I just feel like it’s so messy, and I’m tired of now having certain kinds of attitudes blocked now getting back on. So I’m gonna get out, and if it settles down enough and I feel more comfortable maybe I’ll come back. But as of tonight, I’m done with Twitter,” Goldberg said.

Musk says that moving to a subscription model for Twitter Blue is a way of democratising the service and overhauling its “lords & peasants” system.

On Saturday, local time, a Twitter update for iOS on Apple’s app store said users who “sign up now” for the new “Twitter Blue with verification” can get the blue check next to their names “just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow.”

Former Twitter employees Rahul Ligma (L), software engineer, and Daniel Johnson outside Twitter headquarters after being laid off in San Francisco. Picture: AFP

The service will first be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. According to the Associated Press the new model is launching soon.

Despite the sales pitch, Musk tweeted, “Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission.”

It comes as Musk retrenched a huge chunk of Twitter staff following lay-offs that began on Friday and reportedly affected about 50 per cent of Twitter’s 7500-employee workforce.

A former Twitter employee who was laid off while six months pregnant said she plans to sue the Elon Musk-led company over her firing, according to the New York Post.

Shennan Lu, a former data science manager blasted Twitter’s handling of the situation in a series of tweets that have since been deleted – along with her entire account.

“My Twitter journey has come to an end, I got laid off while I’m 6-month[s] pregnant.”

Musk previously tweeted that he had no choice but to cut staff when the platform was losing $US4 million a day.