Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter described Friday “a great day” despite widespread criticism over recent changes to the social media platform’s verification system.

“Such a great day in so many ways,” Musk tweeted on April 21.

 

 

The tweet has been met with outrage with users expressing anger over Twitter’s decision to remove verification badges from celebrity accounts.

Twitter announced on Thursday, April 20 that it would eliminate the legacy blue checkmark badges that verify celebrity accounts.

Account owners will now have to subscribe to Twitter’s new paid service, Twitter Blue, to remain verified.

The blue checkmark was first introduced in 2009 to verify the authenticity of prominent accounts and prevent impersonation.

Its removal sparked controversy, with many claiming the change devalues verification and transforms it into a status symbol for those who can pay.

Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022, has faced ongoing backlash over changes meant to increase revenue and “free speech” on the platform.

The verification switch is the latest in a string of controversial changes that have been implemented since Musk took over.