Erdoğan says he might negotiate with Elon Musk over Twitter blue check price

Turkish President Erdoğan has said that he might negotiate with Twitter's new boss Elon Musk to avoid paying the monthly $8 charge for the "verified" badge.

Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he may negotiate with Twitter's new boss Elon Musk to avoid paying the monthly $8 charge for the "verified" badge.

After buying Twitter for $44 billion last week, Musk said the company will charge $8 a month for its Blue service, which includes the sought-after blue check mark.

In an interview with Turkish broadcaster ATV on Nov. 2, Erdoğan said he may speak to Musk and discuss the charge.

"It might be different for us," Erdoğan said, when asked about the new charge for the blue check. "We could carry out some diplomacy with him as well," he added jokingly.

A blue check mark next to a person's user name on the social media platform means Twitter has confirmed that the account belongs to the person or company claiming it. Twitter is currently free for most users.

More than 80% of Twitter users who took part in a recent poll said they would not pay for the checkmark. Some 10% said they were willing to pay $5 a month.