Tesla CEO Elon Musk, shown here in March, proposed a series of changes to Twitter’s subscription service, including price changes and the option to pay in dogecoin.
Patrick Pleul | AFP | Getty Images
Elon Musk is tweeting about Twitter again.
This time, he’s come up with a slew of suggestions for Twitter Blue, the social media giant’s subscription service. They include a price cut, the option to pay in dogecoin and banning ads.
The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX — who now owns 9.2% of Twitter — is a prolific Twitter user, often moving markets with his tweets.
He was appointed to Twitter’s board of directors on Tuesday and said he looks forward to working with the board to make “significant improvements to Twitter in the coming months.”
Launched in June, Twitter Blue is the social media giant’s first subscription service for those willing to pay for exclusive access to special features — such as an “Undo Tweet” feature, customized Twitter app icons and the ability to add bookmarks.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Musk suggested there should be no ads and that the subscription price be cut.
“Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays $3/month) should get an authentication checkmark,” he tweeted.
“Price should probably be ~$2/month, but paid 12 months up front & account doesn’t get checkmark for 60 days (watch for CC chargebacks) & suspended with no refund if used for scam/spam,” he said.
“And no ads. The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive,” he added.
Musk also proposed that the pricing “should be proportionate to affordability & in local currency.”
“Maybe even an option to pay in Doge?” he suggested, referring to the cryptocurrency.
Twitter has yet to respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The Twitter Blue service is available in only the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The undo feature lets subscribers change their tweet before it goes live. It is not an edit feature, which Twitter users have often requested. “It’s not an edit button, but a chance to preview and revise your Tweet before it’s posted for the world to see,” the company has said.
