Social media giant Twitter has officially begun its rebranding process to become "X." The announcement was made by Elon Musk, the famous entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, on the social media platform itself.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
In a series of tweets posted late in the evening, Musk said: "And soon we will say goodbye to the Twitter brand and, gradually, to all the birds." In a second tweet, he added: "If a good X logo is posted tonight, we will put it online tomorrow worldwide." Musk also participated in a conversation on Twitter Spaces, without revealing much more information other than that Twitter's logo will be changed the next day.
Elon Musk's passion for the "X"
The letter "X" has a special meaning for Musk. Indeed, he has already used this symbol to name some of his companies and projects, such as SpaceX, his space transportation company. Additionally, Musk previously owned the domain name x.com when he founded an online bank that became PayPal. It appears that Musk sees the "X" as a symbol of the unknown and innovation, two concepts that are central to his vision for Twitter.
Twitter becomes an “app for everything”
Musk said his goal is to make Twitter, or rather “X,” an “app for everything.” It envisions a platform that encompasses a variety of features and services, from messaging and social media to banking and e-commerce. This ambitious vision could radically transform the way we use Twitter and social media in general.
The challenges ahead
However, this transformation will not be without challenges. Changing the name and logo is a bold gamble that could confuse some users. Additionally, Twitter faces stiff competition from other social media platforms, such as Facebook's parent company Meta, which recently launched its own microblogging platform, Threads.
At the time of writing, according to another tweet from Musk, the x.com site now redirects to Twitter. The Verge adds that Musk reportedly sent a company-wide email to confirm the rebranding. He noted that this email would be the last he would send from a Twitter address.
This announcement marks an important step in the evolution of Twitter. Since its creation in 2006, the platform has undergone many changes, but the "X" rebranding is undoubtedly the most radical to date. It remains to be seen how this change will be received by Twitter users and how it will influence the future of the platform.
