Twitter CEO Elon Musk and author Stephen King engaged in a heated Twitter exchange recently, with King challenging Musk to donate to charity in Ukraine and firing back by questioning King's own donations.
The feud started after King claimed to have retained his blue checkmark on the platform despite not subscribing to the blue check service, which now costs $8 monthly.
King tweeted, "I think Mr. Musk should give my blue check to charity. I recommend the Prytula Foundation, which provides lifesaving services in Ukraine. It's only $8, so perhaps Mr. Musk could add a bit more."
Musk, known for his philanthropic endeavors, replied by revealing that he had already donated $100 million to Ukraine. "How much have you donated?" he asked King.
Musk also mentioned the financial hit his company SpaceX had taken by continuing to fund its Starlink service in Ukraine despite declining money from the Department of Defense.
According to Teslarati, SpaceX has been paying for terminals, new satellites, satellite launches, and satellite maintenance in Ukraine. Musk's reply to King's tweet was seen as a direct challenge to the author's claim to have retained his blue checkmark without subscribing to the service.
The exchange between Musk and King occurred shortly after Twitter removed its legacy verification badges from users' accounts, causing many notable figures, including former President Donald Trump, to lose their verification.
Under Twitter's new policy, individuals and businesses, regardless of their prominence, will no longer have a blue checkmark unless they subscribe to the service.
Despite the new policy, some celebrities have retained their blue checkmarks without subscribing, sparking controversy and accusations of favoritism.
King's tweet was seen by many as a pointed critique of Twitter's new policy and a call for Musk to donate to a worthy cause in Ukraine.
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