Twitter launching monthly subscription that includes blue checkmark

Twitter is launching a $7.99 monthly subscription that comes with a blue checkmark next to users' names, per the latest Apple app store update Saturday.

Driving the news: The company is offering the blue check marks "just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow" to users who "sign up now."

• The new "Twitter Blue" isn’t live yet, according to Esther Crawford of Twitter's early stage products team.
• "The sprint to our launch continues but some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time," she tweeted.

Be smart: It remains unclear if Twitter Blue subscribers will have their identities verified, or what will happen to existing blue checkmarks on hundreds of thousands of previously verified accounts. 

Flashback: Elon Musk floated the idea of users paying for blue check marks shortly after taking over the social media platform in October.

• Back in April, he said in a now-deleted tweet that all Twitter Blue subscribers "should get an authentication checkmark" that's different from the verification one for official accounts and public and media figures.

Zoom out: A day earlier, Twitter began laying off about half of its workforce after Elon Musk took ownership of the company a week ago.

• Musk is facing criticism from advertisers, advocacy groups and even President Biden, who said Friday that the platform "spews lies all across the world."
• Lawsuits over the layoffs are already underway and advertisers, including General Mills and Pfizer, are temporarily halting their spending.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.