Trevor Noah slams Elon Musk's plan to charge Twitter users to get blue tick verification
The Daily Show host Trevor Noah has launched a blistering monologue against new Twitter head honcho Elon Musk and his $8 blue tick verification scheme.
And hoo boy, he did not hold back.
Noah dubbed Musk as 'the guy who always looks like a ghost, whether it’s Halloween or not', before really zeroed in on the tech mogul.
"For months now, Musk has said that he wanted to own Twitter. And the reason he wanted to own Twitter is because he wanted to make sure that it’s a haven for free speech," Noah said, as per the Daily Beast.
Advert
Noah went on to add sarcastically: "Because let’s be honest, up until now, you know, people have really held back on Twitter. I always find myself scrolling and thinking, what do you really think? Why are you so reserved, sir?"
The Daily Show host then went on to reference reports that, within the first 12 hours of Musk’s ownership of the social media platform, the use of the N-word skyrocketed by 500 per cent as trolls decided to test the limits of Musk’s takeover.
He then posited a question to Musk.
Noah said: "If you’re trying to create equality on Twitter, why charge anyone to be verified? Just give everyone a blue checkmark then. Why are you charging people?"
The host went on to point out that it isn't 'equality' if it comes with a price tag,
"Can you imagine if [Martin Luther King] was out there like, 'I have a dream. I have a dream…and I’ll tell you all about it for $8.99 a month'. It wouldn’t be the same thing," he said.
Noah rubbished the notion that Musk had purchased Twitter to bring 'equality' to the platform.
"No, you’re trying to make money. I get it," Noah said, as per the Daily Beast.
He then deftly tied in Musk's takeover with the racist trolls that have recently tried to push the limits on the app.
"I think this $8 a month thing is ridiculous. If you ask me, if Elon Musk wants to make money from Twitter, what he should do [is], don’t charge people for blue checkmarks," he said.
"Charge white people to say the N-word. Twitter will be the most profitable company in history."
He added: "Racists will be taking out loans."
Noah's comments come after a number of high profile celebrities announced they would be abandoning the social media site following Musk's takeover.
Musk said his plan to charge $8 cost for the coveted blue tick will come with a bunch of benefits to those who sign up.
Those benefits include 'priority in replies, mentions and search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam', ability to post long video & audio, 'half as many ads', and 'paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us'.
Rachel Lang