Twitter is simply the most interesting place on the Internet: Elon Musk
New York (PTI): A day after announcing plans to charge a monthly fee for Twitter's blue tick verification, the social media company's new owner Elon Musk said you get what you pay for and that Twitter is simply the most interesting place on the Internet.
Twitter is simply the most interesting place on the Internet. That's why you're reading this tweet right now, Musk tweeted on Wednesday.
Earlier he tweeted: Being attacked by both right and left simultaneously is a good sign and you get what you pay for.
Musk has announced that the verification blue tick in front of a user's name that authenticates the account will be charged eight dollars per month, prompting outrage and disbelief among some longtime users.
Musk, the world's richest person, acquired Twitter in a whopping USD 44 billion deal on October 27. He also fired the social media company's four top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal and legal executive Vijaya Gadde.
Power to the people! Blue for USD 8 per month, he tweeted on Tuesday, adding that the price is adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.
With that price, he said, users will also get priority in replies, mentions, and searches, which he said is essential to defeating spam/scams, as well as the ability to post long video and audio, half as many ads, and paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with the social media company.
Musk, 51, said the monthly payments from users for the blue tick will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators.
There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians, he further said.
A blue tick signifies that a particular account is verified because it's notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.
Twitter introduced the system in 2009 after it faced a lawsuit accusing it of not doing enough to prevent imposter accounts.
However, Musk's decision to charge for blue ticks did not go down well with many longtime users, including author Stephen King, who has nearly seven million followers on the platform.
A USD 20 a month to keep my blue check? he tweeted on Monday, followed by an expletive. They should pay me. If that gets instituted, I'm gone like Enron. Following up later in a reply, King wrote, [i]t ain't the money, it's the principle of the thing.
Musk replied to King with his most explicit acknowledgment yet of the proposal to charge for account verification. [W]e need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers, he said. How about USD 8?
Kasturi Shankar, a user with a blue tick whose Twitter bio describes her as an actor, activist, lawyer, writer, quizzer, dancer, foodie, and "travelholic", wrote, "Way to dilute the blue tick verification. Real important people will leave, and take with them the users you need to justify the platform. When businesses and media buy blue ticks, they will in turn try to monetise their tweets. Twitter will become a billboard."
Another user named David Rothschild asked, "So, the more money you spend the more elevated your speech?"
"Faux populism from billionaires who just want to cut taxes and regulations for the rich, while crushing rights of workers to get basic social safety and bargaining necessary to be healthy, productive, and have a meaningful opportunity is a particularly infuriating type of faux populism," said the user which has the blue tick handle @DavMicRot.
Another verified user having handle @Rubiu5 asked, "What happens when a random user pays USD 8 and changes his Display Name to Elon Musk, using your same profile pic, and starts tweeting like he's you?"
Verified check marks exist so people know they follow the real person, the user pointed out.
Responding to the barrage of criticisms, Musk said Twitter speaks to the inner masochist in all of us.
"To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost USD 8," he tweeted.
In a subsequent tweet, Musk shared a link to a popular British skit titled 'Argument'.
The well-known sketch by the comedy troupe Monty Python sees a character, played by Michael Pali, becoming enraged after paying for a five-minute argument with John Cleese.
Totally stole the idea of charging for insults and arguments from Monty Python tbh, Musk wrote.
Twitter is simply the most interesting place on the Internet. That’s why you’re reading this tweet right now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Being attacked by both right & left simultaneously is a good sign
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Totally stole idea of charging for insults & arguments from Monty Python tbh https://t.co/oFKRyp3BS7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Here's how netizens, media outlets projected Ashwini Kumar's bomb threat as 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi'
Mumbai: Mumbai was thrown into panic late on Thursday night when police received a WhatsApp message warning of a large-scale terror attack during the Ganesh festival. The message, written in the name of a jihadi group called “Lashkar-e-Jihadi,” claimed that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered Mumbai with 400 kilograms of RDX loaded in 34 vehicles.
It warned of blasts that could kill as many as one crore people. Authorities immediately declared a high alert, and the case was handed over to the Crime Branch while the Anti-Terrorism Squad and other security agencies were put on standby.
Within hours, the threat made national headlines. Television channels and online portals reported the possibility of a terror strike, repeatedly linking the message to Pakistan-based groups.
The incident was projected as yet another attempt to destabilize Mumbai, and the supposed involvement of a jihadi outfit quickly gained traction across the media. However, a swift investigation by Mumbai Police traced the origin of the message to a very different source.
By Saturday, police had tracked down and arrested Ashwin Kumar Supra, a 50-year-old astrologer and Vastu consultant living in Sector 79 of Noida. Originally from Patna, Kumar admitted during interrogation that he had sent the message using the name of his former friend Firoz. In 2023, Firoz had lodged a fraud case against him at Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna, leading to Kumar’s three-month imprisonment. Seeking revenge, Kumar attempted to frame Firoz by posing as a jihadi terrorist. Police recovered his mobile phone, SIM cards, and other digital devices used in the hoax.
When the threat first came to light, social media was flooded with heated reactions. Journalist @Manju_IBNews wrote, “Another election around the corner!” while user @kv_mcu posted an aggressive comment demanding to “ban Islam and burn the Quran,” calling for mass deportations and tying the incident to culture and religion. In response, @RIMMS51979 countered sharply, saying, “Caller Name is Ashvini kumar what will you burn now.” Another user, @Valkyrie00777, questioned the credibility of the threat, pointing to contradictions in the claim that 14 terrorists had entered India with 34 bombs and 400 kilograms of RDX. Meanwhile, @Liberal51601607 remarked, “Terrorists have no religion.. Anyone..?”
Fact-checkers also weighed in. @zoo_bear (Mohammed Zubair) accused NDTV of omitting crucial context, posting: “Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him.” The fact-check website Aazad Fact Check (@AazadFactCheck) published a detailed rebuttal, saying the story had quickly evolved into a propaganda tool. It noted that the supposed intelligence about “human bombs in vehicles” was technically flawed and described the entire sequence as “a pure example of Indian narrative building before a false flag operation.”
Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him. https://t.co/17nZxYOrql
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 6, 2025
After Ashwini Kumar’s arrest, the tone of the online conversation shifted sharply. Activist @ShabnamHashmi posted, “Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred. Stop the Hate factory! Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang.” Journalist @indscribe (Shams Ur Rehman Alavi) observed that newspapers splashed the initial threat on front pages but buried the arrest details inside. “When the guy gets caught, the same newspapers don't publish his photo, relegate it to page 14 or reduce it to a single column… Interest gone after ‘name’ found,” he wrote.
Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred
— Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) September 6, 2025
Stop the Hate factory !
Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang pic.twitter.com/IzpLjWVJgu
Other users highlighted systemic and political angles. @shfique13 argued that there are now “two laws” in the country—one protecting those aligned with the government and another used to suppress truth-tellers. @SoodRajive claimed the episode was staged, alleging Kumar had been paid to frame a minority and calling it “a staged toolkit drama.” User @hussain2577 wrote sarcastically, “Such an innocent n bright person. Plzz grant him bail, Garland him, Give him BJP membership form.” Another account, @Sangliyana, remarked, “Risking his life just to frame a Muslim boy. This is what 11 years corrupting mind.” Finally, @rsbisht__ argued that Kumar’s only aim was to trap Firoz, linking it to what he described as rising hatred against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh under the Modi and Yogi administrations.
