By Sadhbh McDonnell
On the 9TH of November, Twitter launched its brand-new premium subscription service ‘Twitter Blue’. Since its launch it has caused major controversy on twitter and big problems for large corporations.
The new subscription service allows users to pay $8 (7.50 eur) per month in exchange for a verification blue tick beside their Twitter handle. The subscription is part of Elon Musk’s new vision for Twitter, after buying the platform for $44 billion (42 billion in eur) last year.
However, the subscription’s arrival has not only caused a stir on twitter but seems to have resulted in large corporation’s net worth plummeting. According to Twitter user @rafael shimunov, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co’s net worth significantly dropped after a fake account with a similar handle to the company tweeted “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.”
Via Twitter
Due to the fake account’s subscription to twitter blue, the verified blue check allowed many to believe it was the official real Eli and Lilly twitter account. The company has since apologised on their actual twitter account, “to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account.”
Via Twitter
The misleading posts have subsequently caused the pharmaceutical company to lose billions of dollars, as their net shares continue to plummet. Several other accounts posing to be large corporations have been created since ‘Twitter Blue’ and many brands have filed complaints against Twitter, and Elon Musk personally.
A Twitter spokesperson nor Elon Musk have come forward with a statement on the matter, however the subscription service has since been paused.
Via Twitter