Elon Musk, the new owner and CEO of Twitter, is back with a new post on the social network to address those who complain about his plan to introduce paid subscriptions and tell them that they can still complain as long as I pay.

Elon MuskPhoto: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

“To all the complainers please keep complaining but it will cost you $8,” he wrote.

His post came after he sparred on Twitter on Tuesday with US author Stephen King, who sharply criticized Musk’s plan to introduce a $20 monthly subscription fee for users who want to verify their Twitter account.

“We have to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertising. How about $8?’, the richest man on the planet replied to King.

In another post on Tuesday, he criticized Twitter’s current identity verification system, calling it a system of “gentlemen and peasants.”

Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter last Thursday after a months-long dispute in which both sides sued.

How Elon Musk justifies the implementation of Twitter subscriptions

The South African billionaire says the revenue from introducing paid subscriptions for verified accounts will be used to combat so-called “bots,” fake accounts that post spam or spread misinformation.

Twitter announced in August that it would take new steps to combat misinformation on the platform ahead of this month’s midterm elections in the United States.

The company has been repeatedly accused of allowing false and misinformation to spread on its platform, and criticism has become louder during the COVID-19 pandemic, the US presidential election and the storming of the Capitol by supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump. Trump.

Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account on January 9 last year, 3 days after the attack that left several victims.

Musk has suggested several times that if he takes over Twitter, he might order the former Republican president to return his account. The announcement that Musk had completed his takeover of the social network prompted an exodus of left-leaning celebrities from the platform.