Twitter co-founder changes tune on Musk weeks after new policy goes wide

Published

3 years ago

May 1, 2023

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close video Why has the removal of Twitter’s blue checks caused such a controversy?: Gary Hoffmann

‘Kennedy’ panelists Robby Soave, Gary Hoffmann and Scott Levenson discuss Twitter’s decision to add blue checks to the accounts of dead celebrities.

Jack Dorsey gave his unfiltered perspective on Elon Musk’s purchase and leadership of Twitter this weekend while speaking with users of Bluesky, a Twitter alternative the billionaire is backing.

"No," Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, answered a Bluesky user on Friday who asked if he thought Musk was the best leader for the platform, Bloomberg reported. "Nor do I think he acted right after realizing his timing [of the purchase] was bad. Nor do I think the board should have forced the sale. It all went south."

Musk finalized his purchase of Twitter for $44 billion last October, following a protracted legal battle in which he tried to get out of the sale. After the purchase, the SpaceX CEO began laying off thousands of employees, claiming the company was losing $4 million a day.

He also controversially began charging Twitter users $8 a month in April to receive a "blue check," ending the platform’s previous verification system.

TWITTER TO TAKE 10% CUT ON CONTENT SUBSCRIPTIONS AFTER 12 MONTHS

Jack Dorsey had previously supported Elon Musk buying Twitter. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"Payment as proof of human is a trap and I’m not aligned with that at all," Dorsey added on the invitation-only platform. "The payment systems being used for that proof exclude millions if not billions of people."

Official agencies and some notable users with a large number of followers have maintained their blue checkmarks or have been given gray ones that signify a government agency or official.

Dorsey had previously been friendly with Musk and a year ago he tweeted, "Elon is the singular solution I trust" regarding the platform. "I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness."

TWITTER'S WILD RIDE UNDER ELON MUSK – 1 YEAR LATER

Amid the November layoffs, Dorsey apologized for growing the company "too quickly."

"Folks at Twitter past and present are strong and resilient," he wrote on Nov. 5. "They will always find a way no matter how difficult the moment. I realize many are angry with me. I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologize for that."

But on Friday, Dorsey said to Bluesky users that Twitter "would have never survived as a public company."

Twitter CEO Elon Musk speaks at the “Twitter 2.0: From Conversations to Partnerships,” marketing conference in Miami Beach, Florida, on April 18, 2023. ((Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)

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"Would you rather have had it owned by hedge funds and Wall Street activists? That was the only alternative," he argued.

Fox Business has reached out to Twitter for comment.

Politics

Who will be the UK’s next ambassador to the United States?

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

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Who will be the UK's next ambassador to the United States?

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈

It might be the last full day of business before parliament wraps up for Christmas but there is plenty on the menu for Sam and Anne to tackle.

The duo look at:

The man to beat in the race to become the next UK ambassador to the United States

Britain looking set to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange programme but how much will it cost the taxpayer?

Gossip and fallout from the Angela Rayner polling about how she’s perceived with Labour voters

UK

Teenage boy charged over murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe in Weston-super-Mare

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1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

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Teenage boy charged over murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe in Weston-super-Mare

A nine-year-old girl found dead in Weston-super-Mare has been named on the day police revealed a teenager had been charged with her murder.

Emergency services were called to Lime Close in the Somerset town at 6.09pm on Monday but Aria Thorpe was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a 15-year-old boy had been charged with her murder and that a preliminary post-mortem found she died from a single stab wound.

The teenage boy – who can’t be named due to his age – will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court later today.

A police cordon remains in place as forensics officers continue their work.

Superintendent Jen Appleford, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the community was in shock and Aria’s family were being supported by police.

“It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy,” she said.

Supt Appleford said police were working with local schools and other agencies to make sure support is available.

UK

Duke of Marlborough charged with strangulation offences

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1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

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Duke of Marlborough charged with strangulation offences

The Duke of Marlborough, formerly known as Jamie Blandford, has been charged with intentional strangulation.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three offences between November 2022 and May 2024, Thames Valley Police said.

The 70-year-old has been summonsed to appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, following his arrest in May last year.

The three charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation are alleged to have taken place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, against the same person.

Spencer-Churchill, known to his family as Jamie, is the 12th Duke of Marlborough and a member of one of Britain’s most aristocratic families.

He is well known to have battled with drug addiction in the past.

Spencer-Churchill inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

Prior to this, the twice-married Spencer-Churchill was the Marquess of Blandford, and also known as Jamie Blandford.

His ancestral family home is Sir Winston’s birthplace, the 300-year-old Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.

But the duke does not own the 18th century baroque palace – and has no role in the running of the residence and vast estate.

The palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site and a popular visitor attraction with parklands designed by “Capability” Brown.

In 1994, the late duke brought legal action to ensure his son and heir would not be able to take control of the family seat.

Blenheim is owned and managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.

A spokesperson for the foundation said: “Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation is aware legal proceedings have been brought against the Duke of Marlborough.

“The foundation is unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the duke’s personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live, criminal proceedings.

“The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.”

The King hosted a reception at Blenheim Palace for European leaders in July last year, and the Queen, then the Duchess of Cornwall, joined Spencer-Churchill for the reveal of a bust of Sir Winston in the Blenheim grounds in 2015.

The palace was also the scene of the theft of a £4.75m golden toilet in 2019 after thieves smashed their way into the palace during a heist.

The duke’s representatives have been approached for comment.