Twitter CEO Elon Musk has hit back at a tweet from author Stephen King, in which King challenged him to donate to a Ukrainian charity instead of spending the money on verifying his account.
King suggested that Musk donate the $8 Twitter Blue subscription fee to charity and recommended the Prytula Foundation in Ukraine, which provides lifesaving services.
“I think Mr. Musk should give my blue check to charity,” King tweeted. “I recommend the Prytula Foundation, which provides lifesaving services in Ukraine. It’s only $8, so perhaps Mr. Musk could add a bit more.”
Musk responded by announcing that he had already donated $100 million to Ukraine and questioned King’s own charitable contributions.
“I’ve donated $100M to Ukraine, how much have you donated?” Musk tweeted.
Musk also mentioned that SpaceX has continued to fund its Starlink service in Ukraine, despite declining financial support from the Department of Defense. According to Teslarati, SpaceX has been covering the costs of terminals, new satellites, satellite launches, and satellite maintenance in Ukraine.
The Twitter blue checkmark service, which verifies the identity of notable figures and influencers, has recently come under scrutiny. King claimed that he had not subscribed to the service and therefore should not have a blue checkmark on his account.
Other notable figures also revealed their Twitter handles were verified despite not subscribing to Twitter Blue.
