ELON MUSK, the billionaire entrepreneur and owner of Twitter, has announced a major rebranding for the social media platform. In a late-night Saturday post, Musk revealed that Twitter will be renamed “X,” marking a significant shift in the platform’s identity. He stated, “Soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
As part of this transformation, the platform’s website will now operate under the domain name “x.com.” Musk even conducted a poll to determine whether the default platform color should change to black, with approximately 75% of votes in favor as of Sunday morning.
Musk seems eager to implement the change, as he encouraged the submission of a suitable X logo that, if received, would be immediately adopted as the new brand symbol. Shortly thereafter, Musk tweeted what appeared to be a logo for “X.”
The idea of rebranding Twitter to “X” had been on Musk’s mind long before the acquisition of the social media giant. He had previously mentioned it in a tweet on October 4, 2022, describing Twitter as “an accelerant to creating X, the everything app.” Although he didn’t elaborate on the concept, he had praised apps like TikTok and WeChat as models for what he envisioned Twitter becoming.
It’s worth noting that “X.com” holds historical significance for Musk, as it was the original name of an internet bank he co-founded in 1999 before it was later renamed PayPal.
Twitter, which was launched in 2006, has been associated with its iconic bird mascot since 2008, and the current Twitter Bird logo design was introduced in 2012. However, it seems that the platform is now moving away from this beloved symbol in favor of the enigmatic “X.”
Elon Musk’s influence on Twitter became apparent after he acquired the company in a $44 billion deal. Following the acquisition, he promptly fired the executive leadership and dismantled the board, leading to four rounds of substantial employee layoffs, reducing the headcount from around 7,800 to approximately 1,500.
In an effort to boost ad revenue, Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal ad executive, as Twitter’s CEO. The company has been struggling with a significant decline in ad revenue, leading to negative cash flow and a heavy debt load.
To address this, Musk has been focusing on increasing subscription revenue through “Twitter Blue,” a premium subscription service that offers benefits such as a “verified” blue-check mark, previously reserved for celebrities and notable accounts. Additionally, Twitter has begun sharing ad revenue with select creators, but to be eligible for payments, users must be Twitter Blue subscribers.
Elon Musk’s immense popularity and influence on the platform are evident, as he holds the distinction of being the most-followed user on Twitter, with 149 million followers, followed by Barack Obama with 132 million. Musk humorously pointed out, “Not sure what subtle clues gave it [away], but I like the letter X.”
The rebranding to “X” signifies a major shift in Twitter’s direction and leaves many users curious about what the future holds for the once-familiar blue birdie that has become an integral part of internet history.
