Mark Zuckerberg Just Launched Meta Verified, Which Is Basically Twitter Blue, Because He Can't Formulate Original Ideas

Zuck just copied Elon's homework... and didn't even change any of the answers.

In the least surprising news of the day, Zuck shamelessly stole an idea from one of his competitors. You might recall he has a history of this behavior...

• 2004: Steals idea for The Facebook from the Winklevoss Twins
• 2017: Rips off Snapchat Stories... and doesn't even bother to change the name
• 2020: Realizes TikTok is onto something, promptly launches Reels

And now Lizard Boi is coming for Twitter's ideas. Even the bad ones. Think: Twitter Blue. 

For $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 a month on iOS (Apple Tax, amirite?) you can get a blue verification badge on Facebook and Instagram... and probably Horizon Worlds for the 3 people that use it. The product will be available to users in New Zealand and Australia starting this week, with plans to roll out worldwide, pending the test.

It appears that the application process will be a bit more rigorous than Twitter's pay to play model. Folks hoping to earn a blue checkmark on IG and FB will need to submit government ID to verify their identity. 

Imagine having to pay AND go through an FBI background check just to have Meta sell your data like the rest of the peasants using it for free.

So, what's in it for Meta users? Well besides the badge that just screams "I have disposable income and not a lot of friends"...

CNBC - “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post. 

A Meta spokesperson said Sunday that there are impersonation protections in place with Meta Verified subscriptions. In order to qualify, users must be at least 18 years old, meet minimum account activity requirements and submit a government ID that matches their profile name and photo. Subscriptions will also include “proactive monitoring” for account impersonation, according to the spokesperson.

Verified Meta users will also get access to customer service. It will also give "up and coming creators" a boost according to Zuck's post… whatever the fuck that actually means. 

So, yeah, if you thought Twitter Blue was worthless, you're really going to hate Meta's bootleg version (… which costs more for the record).

At least with Twitter Blue I can edit tweets, write 4,000 word tweets no one will read, and I get to customize the theme of my profile (and by that I mean choose from like 3 colors). It's called providing value, Zuck. Look it up.

PS - I will be buying this as soon as it drops in the US (and potentially using a VPN so I can get it early)

PPS - Alex Bennett from the Mean Girl pod joined Large and I in studio for the latest episode of The Family Office. We chatted about all the important things: if she's wealthier than Dave Portnoy, her startup investments, what she thinks the Family Office portfolio should invest in… and a whole fuck ton more. You can watch it right now…

Or you can listen on Spotify or Apple.