Dogecoin Founder Kicks Against Elon Musk’s Plan to Charge $8 For Twitter Account Verification: Will It Affect DOGE?

Marcus thinks Musk’s plan to charge Twitter users for account verification is not a good idea. 

Billy Marcus, the co-founder of Dogecoin (DOGE), has reacted to Elon Musk’s plan to charge a monthly fee of $8 for Twitter account verification. In a tweet today, Marcus said the move is not a good one based on the number of comments he has received about the implementation. The Dogecoin co-founder said the plan does not proffer any solution to the problem it is trying to solve. 

“I’ll just be straight up – I don’t think the $8 for verification feature is a good idea, based on what I am hearing about its implementation. I don’t think it solves any problem it is trying to solve,” Marcus said. 

Marcus: Launching Big Moves Quickly Could Destroy Twitter

According to Marcus, the idea of quickly rolling out significant changes could lead to terminal destruction for Twitter. He referenced Digg, an American news aggregator with a curated front page, as a case in point. 

While Marcus agrees that there should be a section of Twitter that charges users for enjoying selected services, he does not think the “verification badge feature” should be the first place to start. 

“I think free speech is a noble cause, but in practice, safety is a bigger concern for the platform,” Marcus said. 

i’m not saying a badge showing you are a paid subscriber is a bad idea, i am saying that conflating verification with being a paid subscriber is unwise

if implemented, it should be a different badge than the verification checkmark, and it should be optional to show, IMO

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) November 4, 2022

Will Marcus’ Comment Affect Dogecoin-Twitter Merge?

Marcus’ comment comes days after Musk, the new owner of Twitter, said he is planning to charge users $8 per month for the platform’s verification service, popularly referred to as Twitter Blue. The world’s richest man noted that anyone can pay to have their account verified with a blue checkmark. He added that the fee will be used to run the social media platform. 

The Dogecoin co-founder is not the only one who has slammed the idea. However, the comment comes as a surprise given that both Musk and Marcus have agreed on several issues before now. 

Their good relationship has prompted the Tesla founder to promote Dogecoin’s adoption via his businesses. Musk was instrumental in fueling Dogecoin to an all-time high of $0.73 last year. 

Dogecoin is tipped to benefit massively from Musk’s Twitter takeover, as many expect the cryptocurrency to somehow merge with the social media platform. Musk also hinted at this in a tweet by sharing an image of a dog wearing a Twitter shirt. 

However, with Marcus not supporting Musk’s plan to charge an $8 monthly fee for Twitter’s verification feature, it is no longer certain that the world’s richest man will still want the social media platform to accept Dogecoin.