Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, began offering users free premium features, including “blue checks” or verification badges, this past Wednesday. The aim is to recognize “influential” individuals on the platform.
X Premium is generally a paid subscription service that users can choose to enroll in. According to the X Help Center, the subscription levels are Basic, Premium, and Premium+. These subscriptions offer users access to exclusive features, like the ability to display a verification badge on their profile. In the U.S., the price for the Basic web offering starts at $32 a year, while Premium+ costs $168 annually.
However, last week, Musk shared a post on X saying that all platform accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers would receive Premium features for free. Accounts with more than 5,000 followers would get Premium+ for free.
Musk launched subscriptions on X as an additional source of revenue to supplement advertising income. After Musk’s controversial takeover of Twitter in late 2022, many advertisers have backed away or ceased advertising on the platform altogether. For instance, both Disney and Apple paused their online ad campaigns on X in November 2023 after Musk promoted a conspiracy theory.
Currently, it remains uncertain for how long users will enjoy access to these free premium features, or whether they will have the option to opt-out of the service.
