Elon Musk poked fun at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that his flagship social media properties — Facebook and Instagram — can be charging a monthly subscription fee for a verification check just like that introduced by Twitter.
Musk, who rolled out the Twitter Blue subscription service soon after he accomplished his $44 billion takeover of the microblogging site, felt vindicated by Meta’s announcement on Sunday.
The Twitter boss said it was “inevitable” that Zuckerberg would follow in his footsteps.
He also posted a laughing-hysterically emoji on his Twitter feed in response to a meme that depicts his rival Zuckerberg because the hapless, bumbling Mr. Bean, the character played by British comedic actor Rowan Atkinson.
Within the meme, Mr. Bean, who is supposed to represent Zuckerberg, is seen taking an exam. He peers over at a person sitting next to him and copies from him. The opposite test-taker represents Musk.
Meta Verified will cost $11.99 a month on web and $14.99 a month on iOS. It’s launching in Australia and Latest Zealand this week ahead of a wider rollout.
Judging from social media response, nevertheless, it appears Zuckerberg has some convincing to do before Facebook users fork over money on a monthly basis.
“Introducing Meta Verified, the subscription service that helps you to trade your government ID for a blue badge, false sense of security, and direct access to customer support,” one naysayer tweeted.
“Because nothing says authenticity like handing over personal info to a social media giant.”
One other Twitter user wrote: “Meta Verified is just as cringe as Twitter Blue and I’d somewhat disappear into the abyss never to be known again than spend a dime trying to realize traction by paying for faux popularity on social media.”
One commenter suggested that Zuckerberg’s announcement could spell the tip of free web.
“I remember the times when Facebook’s homepage said ‘it’s free and at all times can be’,” remarked one Twitter user.
“Social media is quickly becoming pay to play…It’s not an information highway that connects people… it’s beginning to change into a toll road.”
Zuckerberg on Sunday said the subscription “helps you to confirm your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support.”
The Facebook founder noted that providing direct access to customer support will cost “a major sum of money,” which can be made up for with subscription revenue.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company is wanting to find additional sources of revenue because it and other tech giants reminiscent of Google, Amazon and Twitter have reported disappointing earnings during a harsh macroeconomic climate.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Meta gave subpar performance reviews to some 7,000 employees — an ominous sign that the corporate plans to put off more employees just weeks after culling roughly 13% of its 87,000-strong global workforce.
