Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is looking to have a meeting with Elon Musk to negotiate a way not to pay the amount
Turkey ‘s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his desire to speak with Elon Musk to negotiate a way out of paying $8 a month for a verified Twitter account .
The president’s statement was made to a Turkish broadcaster called ATV . In it he pointed out that “he could carry diplomacy with him” to avoid payment.
They don’t want to pay
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told ATV that he was considering talking to Musk about the $8 monthly subscription, which would give users a blue checkmark, the ability to post long-form videos, priority in search, and fewer ads.
According to Erdogan, they want the payment “to be different for them.” What he would offer Musk has not been specified.
Twitter plans to start charging for blue verification badges starting next week, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Musk doesn’t back down
Musk has received backlash over the proposed $8 charge from celebrities and government officials, including US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. However, the billionaire has not backed down.
Musk tweeted Tuesday: “To all the complainers, keep complaining, but it will cost $8.” He also told the congresswoman, “We appreciate your feedback, now pay $8.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX on Wednesday tweeted a meme showing a person smiling at an $8 price tag on a Starbucks coffee, but crying at the sight of the same price tag on a Twitter verification badge .