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The Gist
- Brand revolution. Musk rebrands Twitter with “X” logo.
- Musk’s influence. “X” embodies the imperfections that make us unique.
- Future change. Tweets to be referred to as X’s in post-rebrand.
In a tweet of fate, Twitter’s iconic blue bird has flown south — now replaced and rebranded with a new logo — “X.”
In the midst of spearheading a significant rebranding, Twitter owner Elon Musk is retiring the infamous blue bird, long associated with Twitter, in favor of a sleek new “X” logo. Musk acquired the social media platform for $44 billion last year and in a cryptic yet revealing tweet at the time, Musk hinted at the impending transformations saying, “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app.”
On Monday, Musk debuted the white X on a black background by first replacing his own Twitter icon, and subsequently revealing a snapshot of the new design projected onto the façade of Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters. The monochrome “X” has already been integrated into the desktop version of Twitter (replacing the bird at the top) but the app version still primarily showcases the original avian symbol.
Musk’s ‘X’ Factor: How Elon’s Favorite Letter Shaped His Legacy
Musk has made no secret of the fact that he really likes the letter X.
Not sure what subtle clues gave it way, but I like the letter X pic.twitter.com/nwB2tEfLr8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
Musk’s spaceflight company is called SpaceX. He named his youngest son X Æ A-12 — and his nickname is X. He has a Tesla electric car model called “X.” In 1999, Musk co-founded an online bank called X.com. The name was later changed to PayPal and purchased by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. But not one to let go of his beloved “X” — Musk bought the defunct domain back from PayPal in 2017 — unsure at the time as to how he would implement it.
Thanks PayPal for allowing me to buy back https://t.co/bOUOejO16Y! No plans right now, but it has great sentimental value to me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 11, 2017
Until now, that is — X.com currently directs people to Twitter.
Further, with the stated goal to “understand the true nature of the universe,” on July 12, Musk launched his long-anticipated artificial intelligence company, xAI with plans to eventually release tools and products for both businesses and consumers.
Related Article: Elon Musk Launches xAI to Solve the Universe’s Biggest Mysteries
Twitter’s Trial by Fire: Can Musk’s ‘X’ Factor Counter Declining User Base and Rising Competitors?
With a plethora of issues ranging from cases of harassment, abuse and political polarization leading many marketers to search for Twitter alternatives like Hive Social or Bluesky — to an overhaul of its verification program and tweet limits, Musk’s rebrand has its work cut out.
Musk is no doubt keeping a close eye on Instagram Threads, Meta’s text-based conversation app that’s anticipated to pose a significant challenge to Twitter. Within the first week of its release, it had already amassed more than 100 million active accounts. As of July 12, 2023, there were approximately 108 million. While the platform doesn’t currently offer the opportunity for advertisements yet – it’s an option that is almost certainly just around the corner.
According to Statista, as of December 2022, Twitter had 368 million monthly active users worldwide – but the platform is projected to lose around 5% of its audience by 2024, decreasing its user base to around 335 million by 2024.
Related Article: Should Marketers Jump Into Instagram Threads?
Are Tweets Set to Become X-tinct?
While there may be some ruffled feathers in the social media sphere, there’s more to this story than just a logo swap — and the next treasure is always just a tweet away.
But will they still be referred to as tweets? After all, an “X” doesn’t produce bird calls.
When quizzed by followers about the future of tweets and post-rebranding, Musk replied that they would henceforth be known as X’s.
On Sunday, a day prior to the new logo’s debut, Musk tweeted, “And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.” Later adding that the idea behind the logo is “To embody the imperfections in us all that make us unique.”
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