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Stephen King Drags Elon Musk On Twitter... Again!
By Kristin Myers on November 10, 2022 at 1:15 PM EST
Horror master Stephen King has never been afraid to tell it like it is and he certainly isn't afraid to pick a fight with new "Chief Twit" Elon Musk.
"The Stand" author was one of the first celebrities to criticize Musk's proposed $20 blue checkmark verification fee, which resulted in Musk lowering the price to $8.
However, many are still unhappy with the changes the Tesla CEO plans to make to the platform, King included.
Stephen King Calls Out Elon Musk On Twitter, Check Out Musk's Response!
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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2022
On Thursday, King tweeted, "I think I liked Twitter better in the pre-Musk days. Less controversy, more fun." Musk replied to the tweet with a single ghost emoji.
I’m still a fan of you tbh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2022
He later added a follow-up comment, saying, "I'm still a fan of you tbh."
Several followers suggest that King write a new horror story about a billionaire taking control of a social media company, but others told King to just leave the platform if he didn't like it anymore.
That being said, King was far from the only one who has been critical of Musk's takeover. After a verbal sparring match earlier this week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was quick to call Musk out on the flaws in his $8 verification fee plan.
If so, it definitely seems like a tool that’s ripe for targeted harassment, especially of women + others on this platform
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 9, 2022
"Wait… so if people can pay $8 to get verified, does that mean strangers can just pay to get into their mentions tab?" she asked on Wednesday. "Bc that will make following public conversations w/ journalists, outlets,& others almost impossible to track. IG has this issue and it’s unusable in that regard."
"If so, it definitely seems like a tool that’s ripe for targeted harassment, especially of women + others on this platform," she added.
Elon Musk Says Twitter Will Do A 'Lot Of Dumb Things' In The Coming Months
Complaint hotline operator online! Please mention your complaints below.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 9, 2022
Only one day before Stephen King created his tweet, the SpaceX founder seemed to be aware of the mounting resentment on Twitter. "Complaint hotline operator online! Please mention your complaints below." he tweeted.
Bring back banned accounts. Some were banned for saying true things!
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) November 9, 2022
Former National Committeewoman of the Republican National Committee for California, Harmeet K. Dhillon, was one of the first to comment on the tweet, seemingly asking for former President Donald Trump's Twitter account to be reinstated. Dhillon tweeted, "Bring back banned accounts. Some were banned for saying true things!"
“Phone Number” or a “Valid ID” for every Twitter Account would completely Eradicate Fake/Multiple Accounts and Bots.
Simple one min verification process would go a long way in making Twitter an outstanding, Genuine and Safe platform.— Nikhil Siddhartha (@actor_Nikhil) November 10, 2022
Indian actor Nikhil Siddhartha suggested a way to cut down on the number of bot and spam accounts on the platform by asking users to provide a valid phone number or "ID" to create an account. Siddhartha tweeted, "Simple one min verification process would go a long way in making Twitter an outstanding, Genuine and Safe platform."
Are you seeing far fewer bots/scams/spam?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2022
On Thursday, Musk actually asked his followers if they were seeing fewer bot accounts and less spam on the platform. With less than an hour to go in the poll, 51.1% said yes while 48.9% said no.
I’m not seeing much spam in this reply
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2022
When YouTuber Scott Manley said that “every message I post has spam replies,” Musk replied, “Not seeing much spam in this reply.”
Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months.
We will keep what works & change what doesn’t.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 9, 2022
On Wednesday, Musk admitted that "Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works & change what doesn’t."
If criticism continues, the $8 blue Twitter checkmark verification fee might become a thing of the past. That being said, users aren't quite sure what might replace it.