Twitter rebranding as X, abandoning its bird logo in favor of Musk’s favorite letter
Social media site Twitter will undergo a rebranding to become “X,” according to billionaire owner Elon Musk.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, July 22, Musk explained that the companies name and famous Bird logo would be no more, replaced instead with an X.
“And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” stated Musk, who later added in a Twitter space that the company’s logo would be changed Sunday.
And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
“It should have been done a long time ago, sorry it took so long,” he said.
Musk has long favored the X branding. His recent AI venture is called xAI and, perhaps more relevant to the recent change, the banking startup he co-founded in 1999 was called x.com—the same URL that’s now being repurposed for Twitter’s rebranding. Perhaps the most famous example of Musk’s favoring of the X branding is SpaceX, the space launch company he cofounded in 2002.
The change itself has been a long time coming, Twitter’s holding company was also renamed to X Corp back in April. (Read: Threads has the best chance to replace Twitter, but missing features could derail it)
As for why Twitter is undergoing a rebranding, Musk stated that it would help the service become an “everything app.” Though he hasn’t given much about the specifics of his vision, many point to apps like WeChat, which people in China use for a host of everyday activities, like shopping and payments, on top of social networking.
Still, abandoning the more familiar Twitter branding for something new could be risky for Musk. The company already faces an advertiser exodus that has resulted in the loss of over half of its advertising revenue, and rebranding Twitter could further push advertisers away.
If you like reading our content, why not show your appreciation by treating us to a cup of coffee? (or two, if you’re feeling generous)
