Elon Musk riffed on Twitter over the weekend with one other unlikely foe — William Shatner.
Shatner was lower than happy to be taught that Musk would start ordering the removing of legacy blue checkmarks for verified customers and public figures on April 1, leaving those that want to hold their blue checkmarks intact with a month-to-month charge of $7.99.
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The “Star Trek” star Tweeted immediately at Musk on Saturday concerning the debacle, stating that he is been utilizing the platform for 15 years and asking the billionaire to make clear whether or not or not that is true.
Hey @elonmusk what’s this about blue checks going away until we pay Twitter? I have been right here for 15 years giving my & witty ideas all for bupkis. Now you are telling me that I’ve to pay for one thing you gave me totally free? What’s this-the Colombia Data & Tape Membership?
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) March 26, 2023
“Now you are telling me that I’ve to pay for one thing you gave me totally free? What’s this-the Colombia Data & Tape Membership,” Shatner joked.
Musk, by no means lacking a beat, replied to Shatner publicly (and reasonably bluntly), telling the actor that there “should not be a special customary for celebrities” on Twitter.
It is extra about treating everybody equally. There should not be a special customary for celebrities imo. https://t.co/rWi99sGPdq
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023
Shatner didn’t reply additional.
The dialogue between the 2 comes simply days after Twitter introduced that it will be sunsetting its legacy checks subsequent month, to the dismay of many.
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Musk clarified from his account final week that particular person Twitter customers whose accounts had been affiliated with a verified group would mechanically obtain verifications when the brand new system goes into place however has not elaborated additional on how this could work. Some organizations have reportedly obtained emails saying a handful of staff might hold or obtain checks — reality examine me felt like we would have liked this add-on?
Shatner’s gripe with Musk solely appears to play on the continuing rivalry between Musk and fellow billionaire Bezos, with whom Shatner is nice mates, and accompanied him on a visit to house through Bezos’ house exploration firm Blue Origin in October 2021.
Musk even took to Twitter to congratulate Shatner on being the oldest particular person (on the time) to ever journey into house by responding to NASA’s tweet concerning the exploration with a easy “Godspeed Captain” in an homage to Shatner’s “Star Trek” character Admiral James T. Kirk.
Godspeed Captain
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2021
Musk is the founding father of rival house exploration firm SpaceX, which plans to finish a crewed touchdown on Mars by 2029.