The Twitter application is seen on a digital device, Monday, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that soon only blue check mark accounts will appear in the platform's recommendation or feed. Right now, an algorithm determines which tweets appear in the "For You" view, which features some posts from accounts you don't follow.
The change, set to begin April 15, would make it so only accounts that pay for the blue check mark designation make the cut.
"[This] is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over," Musk tweeted. "It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle."
In addition, only those users would be able to vote in polls.
The announcement is the latest attempt by Musk to overhaul the struggling social media platform since he purchased it last year. His last major change was launching a subscription service for $8 a month that allows users to essentially pay for verification. Legacy verified accounts now would be required to pay for the subscription as well to keep the check mark.
Previously, Twitter used verification as a way to make sure accounts are matched with the actual people they are presenting as on the platform. When the subscription service first launched, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly was hit with a stock selloff after a user with a blue check spoofed its official account and announced that insulin would now be free of charge.
Bambu Ventures's Kyle Pretsch dives into Lemonaid’s $10M buyout, down from 23andMe’s $400M price tag, and what’s next after Chrome Co.’s dramatic pivot.
Former Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers learned all about technology’s volatile highs and lows as a veteran of the internet’s early boom days during the late 1990s and the ensuing meltdown that followed the mania. And now he is seeing potential signs of the cycle repeating with another transformative technology in artificial intelligence. Chambers is trying take some of the lessons he learned while riding a wave that turned Cisco into the world's most valuable company in 2000 before a crash hammered its stock price and apply them as an investor in AI startups. He recently discussed AI's promise and perils during an interview with The Associated Press.
Grove Collaborative’s CEO shares how the company is reinventing everyday goods with sustainability at the core and working toward a plastic-free future.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shares plans for affordable housing, community-led growth, and why private and public grocery stores could be key to food equity.
Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with 462,890 in the same period last year.
Tom’s Guide Editor-in-Chief Mark Spoonauer breaks down Apple & Amazon's latest product drops—what's hot, what's hype, and what really matters for users.
