Elon Musk says Twitter is rolling out ‘higher priced’ ad-free version of platform

Twitter boss Elon Musk has announced that a new more expensive subscription option is coming to the platform that would allow an ad-free experience.

Musk confirmed the plans in a series of tweets after stating that ads are “too frequent” on the service.

In a thread of tweets posted on Sunday (22 January), he said: “Ads are too frequent on Twitter and too big. Taking steps to address both in coming weeks. Also, there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads.”

The new ad-free option is expected to be an addition to the already existing paid-subscription feature that provides users with a better experience than those who use it for free, with additional features including an edit button and a verification tick mark.

The latest announcement comes after Musk previously hinted in December that an ad-free version of Twitter was in the works. He said at the time: “Basic Blue will have half the number of ads. We will offer a higher tier with no ads next year.”

Earlier this month, Twitter also relaxed some of its long-standing policies banning political advertisements on the platform in a bid to boost revenue and cut costs. Twitter Safety announced on its official account: “Moving forward, we will align our advertising policy with that of TV and other media outlets.”

The latest announcement comes after Musk confirmed last month he will step down as chief executive of Twitter, as soon as he finds someone “foolish enough to take the job”.

More than 57% of users voted in favour of Musk stepping down in a Twitter poll he set up himself - a result he said he would abide by.

He later went on to question the result, before confirming that he would relinquish his role as head of the social media platform once he finds a successor. He wrote in a tweet: “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams.”

The Tesla and SpaceX boss only took control of Twitter just over two months ago, but his tenure has been turbulent.

He has overseen more than half of the company’s global workforce being laid off, the loosening of content moderation and reinstatement of previously banned accounts which some groups say has caused a spike in hateful and abusive content on the site.

Musk’s reign has also seen a fumbled rollout of the Twitter Blue subscription service, as well as advertisers pausing spending with the firm over concerns about his “absolute free speech” approach.

The Twitter saga has also had an impact on his other businesses, with Tesla share prices down since his social media takeover as the controversies affect confidence in Musk and his management style.