After nearly two days of purging “heritage verification marks,” Twitter CEO Elon Musk appears to be waving the white flag.
Across Twitter on Saturday, some of the site’s biggest names, from Stephen King to Chrissy Teigen, expressed surprise when their unstable checkmarks suddenly reappeared.
“Friends told me that my blue verified check was recovered. Don’t know why. I paid nothing. I have not given any number,” he tweeted Seinfeld Starring Jason Alexander.
Barring an issue that plagued the site since Musk decided to introduce his $8-a-month Twitter Blue Check system, Blue Checks appeared to be restored only to users with high follower counts.
On Thursday, Musk’s decision to finally follow through on his promise to verify only those who paid sent the platform into chaos, opening the door to popular fake accounts with mass de-verification.
In more classic Musk fashion, Chief Twit initially tries to make his capitulation appear as an epic troll.
“I’ll pay for your blue check – my gift to you,” tweeted Musk, in which former Labor Secretary Robert Reich rejected his blue check and denounced “the oligarchs who have too much power on the Internet.”
Musk later tweeted, “Check mate.”
However, the move seemed more far-reaching than a mere prank on critics of the verification system.
From Pope Francis to former President Donald Trump, many notables who didn’t drown in the blue check debacle have seen their checks reclaimed after briefly losing them.
Many celebrities who have been vocal about their decision not to pay the $8 since the checks bounced have let their supporters know they didn’t do the restitution.
“Good Lord, I have been Lebroned, disbanded, and made king without my consent. No means no, boys,” tweeted tech journalist Kara Swisher.
Tiegen also offered advice to his followers on how to rid themselves of the pesky badge, advising Pod Save America host Jon Favreau, “Change your name and it will remove the verification mark. But don’t talk about it again or you’ll get another one. I’m serious.” lol.”
From Malala Yousafazi to Charlie Sheen, many were excited to see their validation return.
“I don’t know what happened but I’m glad I got my blue tick back so everyone knows I’m still Malala,” the women’s education activist tweeted.
What comes next in the Elon-Twitter saga is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that Musk isn’t even close to handling it all.
