"I just killed it": Musk ditches "Official" label hours after launch
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Elon Musk's Twitter account displayed on a phone screen. Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Elon Musk said Wednesday that he has "killed" the "Official" label, which was given to some verified accounts earlier in the morning.
Why it matters: The new "Official" label was Musk's answer to verify an account's legitimacy outside of the blue checkmark, which can be bought through a Twitter Blue subscription for $8 a month.
Driving the news: When a Twitter user noted his "official" badge was gone, Musk replied: "I just killed it." He later noted that the blue checkmark "will be the great leveler."
- "Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months," Musk tweeted on Wednesday. "We will keep what works & change what doesn’t."
Flashback: Twitter launched the "official" badge for "select accounts" that are verified as part of its new $8 monthly premium subscription service, which "does not include ID verification," a company executive said Tuesday.
- Axios had been labeled as one of those "official" accounts.
The big picture: Twitter early stage products executive Esther Crawford tweeted that the new Twitter Blue service would be an "opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features."
- The new "Official" label would have replaced the blue checkmark and applied to a select number of "government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures," according to Crawford.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Ina Fried: Twitter attempted to address the issue it created when it announced it would sell blue checkmarks.
- Many governments and other entities might not choose or be able to pay for verification. Also, verifying important entities benefits all Twitter users, not just account holders
Go deeper: Twitter launching monthly subscription that includes blue checkmark
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that Musk removed Twitter's new "Official" label hours after launching it.
