Days after his Twitter exchange with Elon Musk over the fee for a verified badge, bestselling author Stephen King took a swipe at the Tesla CEO, likening him to fictional character Tom Sawyer.
"Musk makes me think of Tom Sawyer, who is given the job of whitewashing a fence as punishment. Tom cons his friends into doing the chore for him, and getting them to pay for the privilege. That's what Musk wants to do with Twitter. No, no, no," Mr King tweeted.
In the episode from Mark Twain's timeless novel, The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, the mischievous protagonist gets his friends to paint his aunt's fence -- a task he got as a punishment -- by convincing them that it is enjoyable work and that they are lucky that they got an opportunity to do it. What's more, he also got his friends to shell out their small treasures and trinkets in exchange.
In the comments section, several Twitter users agreed with Mr King. Some said content creators such as writers and journalists contribute reliable content to Twitter and it is unfair to charge them a fee in return. Others, however, backed the new Twitter boss and said the new verification system also offers added features.
In another tweet, Mr King praised Mr Musk for starting a "revolution in how the world drives" and went on to take a jab at his Twitter leadership.
"Kudos to Elon Musk, who has begun a revolution in how the world drives and who has incredible visionary talents. I got an early Tesla and traded for another one. Wonderful cars (no autopilot for me, thanks). That said, when it comes to Twitter...," the author tweeted.
Mr King's digs at Elon Musk came days after their exchange over the monthly fee for the blue tick.
Days before Mr Musk announced that a verified badge on Twitter will now cost $8 a month, Mr King tweeted a charged response to speculative reports that the blue tick may cost as much as $20 a month.
"$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I'm gone like Enron," the author had tweeted.
He got a reply from none other than the Twitter's new owner.
"We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?" Mr Musk responded.
The Tesla CEO, whose Twitter bio now says "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator", added that introducing a verification fee is the "only way to defeat the bots & trolls".
