Twitter Will Only Allow Blue Members to Vote on Policy, Elon Musk Says

Elon Musk said on Monday Twitter will restrict voting on policy-related polls to paying Twitter Blue subscribers, on the same day that users voted decisively in a poll for Musk to step down as chief executive of the social media platform.

Musk responded to a suggestion from a Twitter Blue subscriber, who said only subscribers should get a vote on policy polls, with “Good point. Twitter will make that change”, without specifying when the change would come into effect.

The poll results capped a whirlwind week that included changes to Twitter’s privacy policy and the suspension – and reinstatement – of journalists’ accounts that drew condemnation from news organizations, advocacy groups and officials across Europe.

Then on Sunday, Twitter banned accounts that promoted rival social media platforms such as Facebook in a now-deleted tweet, drawing questions even from long-time Musk supporters, including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

Musk said on Sunday he would abide by the results of the CEO poll, but did not give details on when he would step down if the results said he should. He has not yet named a successor for the role.

Since taking over in October, Musk swiftly fired top management and thousands of employees, seesawed on how much to charge for the social media firm’s subscription service Twitter Blue, and reinstated accounts banned under the previous management, including that of former US President Donald Trump.

Twitter re-enabled Twitter Blue sign ups earlier this month, with accounts for individuals getting a blue check, while gold and gray check marks will denote business and government accounts.

The monthly subscription price for the service is $8 (roughly Rs. 600) on the Web and $11 (roughly Rs. 1,000) on Apple devices, respectively.

© Thomson Reuters 2022