'How much have you donated?': Elon Musk and Stephen King tussle over blue tick and Ukraine war

In a social media tiff that took the internet by storm, two iconic personalities of our times, author Stephen King and billionaire Elon Musk, engaged in a war of words over Twitter's blue checkmark verification system, eventually leading to the topic of the ongoing Ukraine war.

It all started when King took to Twitter to claim that his blue tick mark had remained despite not paying the monthly subscription fee. In response, Musk, just replied, "You're welcome, namaste." He confirmed that he is paying for a few Twitter users' Blue subscription.

This was followed by tweets and counter-tweets that quickly went viral.

In one of his tweets, King suggested that Musk donate his blue checkmark to charity, recommending the Prytula Foundation which provides lifesaving services in Ukraine. He even went as far as to suggest that Musk could add a bit more than the $8 monthly fee for the Twitter Blue subscription.

Musk hit back by reminding King of SpaceX's contribution to Ukraine, claiming that his company had donated $100M to the country, and turning down DoD (Department of Defense) money in the process.

I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?

(We turned down the DoD money btw) https://t.co/wpLa6dTnP6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2023

Reports SpaceX has been paying for the terminals, new satellites, satellite launches, and satellite maintenance in Ukraine. Musk also quoted a tweet where Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov was seen thanking Musk for ensuring the work of SpaceX Starlink continues in the country.

Also read: 'Hey Blue Tick welcome back': Film stars rejoice as Twitter reinstates legacy blue checkmark

The Twitter Blue verification system, which Musk-led Twitter has rolled out, has been a bone of contention among the Twitterati, especially over the weekend. The monthly subscription fee of $8 (Rs 650 in India) means that users would have to pay up to get their blue tick marks. However, that doesn't seem to be the case for many popular accounts now. Twitter seemingly returned the blue ticks to many celebrities with over a million followers, even if they did not pay for it. 

As expected, this move by Musk has not only created confusion among users and subscribers but also sparked a meme fest. 

Also read: Elon Musk-led Twitter giving blue tick back to celebrities, even dead ones; here’s why