New York Post

TWEET ‘REVENGE’

AOC gripe after Musk Twit for tat

- By THOMAS BARRABI

Your feedback is appreciate­d, now pay $8.

— Elon Musk to AOC

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complained late Wednesday that her Twitter account stopped working properly shortly after she traded barbs with the site’s new owner, Elon Musk.

The progressiv­e lawmaker tweeted about the glitch, which allegedly affected her ability to receive notificati­ons.

“Also my twitter mentions/notificati­ons convenient­ly aren’t working tonight, so I was informed via text that I seem to have gotten under a certain billionair­e’s skin,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted. “Just a reminder that money will never by [sic] your way out of insecurity, folks.”

The Post has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office and Twitter for further comment.

Ocasio-Cortez is one of several public figures who have publicly grumbled about Musk’s plan to charge users $8 per month to maintain their “blue check” verificati­on badges on Twitter. The billionair­e is adamant that he won’t budge from the $8 monthly price point.

The New York Democrat expressed her frustratio­n with Musk’s plan earlier this week.

“Lmao at a billionair­e earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually a $8/ mo subscripti­on plan,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday night.

“Your feedback is appreciate­d, now pay $8,” Musk replied.

Musk further rankled Ocasio-Cortez, a self-declared democratic socialist, by sharing a screenshot from the lawmaker’s online store, where a “periwinkle supporter crew sweatshirt” emblazoned with her name is sold for $58. Musk circled the price and posted a thinking-face emoji.

Ocasio-Cortez fired back by calling Musk a “union buster.”

“My workers are union, have full healthcare + benefits like childcare help, and every one is paid a living wage. Proceeds go to community acts like tutoring underserve­d kids,” she tweeted. “You’re a union buster with an ego problem who pockets the change from underpayin­g and mistreatin­g people.”

Musk and Ocasio-Cortez have clashed on several occasions in the past. In May, she said she wanted to get rid of her Tesla after an exchange in which Musk responded to her tweet about “some billionair­e with an ego problem” by joking, “Stop hitting on me, I’m really shy.”

Musk and his team have identified an overhaul of the Twitter Blue subscripti­on service as a top priority for the company. Earlier this week, the billionair­e described Twitter’s current verificati­on process as a “lords and peasants system.”

The Twitter CEO said users will receive an array of benefits in exchange for the $8 fee, including fewer ads and the ability to post longform audio and video. He also asserted that his plan would help crack down on spam accounts.

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 ?? ?? RUFFLED FEATHERS: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says her Twitter account began malfunctio­ning after she complained about Elon Musk’s new $8 fee for site ID verificati­on.
RUFFLED FEATHERS: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says her Twitter account began malfunctio­ning after she complained about Elon Musk’s new $8 fee for site ID verificati­on.

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