Despite the unpopular approach to verification that Twitter and its CEO Elon Musk are pursuing, it appears to have peeked the interest of Meta and Mark Zuckerberg and are pursuing a paid blue checkmark.
As reported by SocialMediaToday: “It seems like Elon Musk’s chaotic management approach at Twitter is having some broader impacts, with more companies reportedly considering lay-offs in the wake of Musk culling 70% of Twitter staff (and keeping the app running), and Meta now apparently also considering charging for blue checkmarks in its apps.”
Engineering professional, Alessandro Paluzzi has uncovered a mention in Meta’s codebase for Facebook and Instagram that says “Paid Blue Badge”, as he reported on Twitter. He has further shared a screenshot of said code on TechCrunch.
As for Meta, they have neither confirmed nor denied the code or the intent behind it, but it’s easy to see why these platforms might be exploring new ways to make money. With mass firings all over the industry, including from Meta, and Twitter Blue already making around $7 million a quarter, and platforms notoriously struggling to make cold hard cash, especially since narrowing its advertising options, Meta is feeling the breath of the debt collector on its neck.
