Kenya: Taking on Elon Musk! Is Miguna Punching Above His Weight?

3 November 2022
Capital FM (Nairobi)

Nairobi — Kenya's firebrand lawyer Miguna Miguna has taken on new Twitter owner Elon Musk, over plans to charge for its Blue service, which includes the sought-after "verified" badge.

Musk, the richest man on earth has been under fire since Monday when he made the announcement seen as his push to monetize the service and make the social media network less reliant on ads."You don't need the money. Greed is one of the worst sins. Stop exploiting Twitter users. If you persist, we will ORGANIZE a mass exodus from Twitter and turn your "investment" into a nightmare! Continue pushing us!!," Miguna tweeted telling Musk to stop exploiting Twitter users.

But is Miguna capable of organising a global 'mas exodus from Twitter?

"You are by far the wealthiest person on earth, what are you ripping people off for?," Miguna said days after arrival in the country from Canada where he was deported by the former regime of Uhuru Kenyatta.

Miguna is among millions who have criticided Musk's move to charge for the coveted badge.]

But Musk who owns Tesla, has told off anyone opposed to the move, tweeting, "To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8."

Musk has promised far-reaching reforms on the giant social network, as he seeks alternatives to monetize the service from over-reliance on ads so as to benefit content creators.

"Twitter's current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month," Musk said in a tweet, adding that the price will be adjusted by "country proportionate to purchasing power parity".

Musk said blue-tick subscribers would get priority in replies, mentions and search, and be able to post longer videos and audios, while dealing with half as many ads.

He also offered subscribers a paywall bypass from "publishers willing to work with us".

Musk's comments follow media reports that the Tesla boss was looking at the process of profile verification and how the blue ticks were given out.

Before Musk acquired Twitter, it used to verify users, mainly public figures including celebrities, organisations, media personalities among others based on its own criteria.

Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion, making him its sole owner.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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