What you need to know
- Twitter officially ditches its blue bird branding and is now rebranded to “X.”
- The rebranding was announced on Sunday and went into effect on Monday.
- Visiting X.com now redirects people to Twitter’s website.
Elon Musk has given Twitter a new look, ditching the bird logo for an “X” in what appears to be an overnight decision.
Twitter’s new owner and its Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccarino, unveiled the new logo for the social media network on Sunday, with Musk teasing a white X against a black background. A day later, the rebranding went into effect, marking the latest change since Musk took over the social media platform for $44 billion last year.
“It’s an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression,” Yaccarino tweeted. “Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate.”
Yaccarino went on to say that X “will go further, transforming the global town square.” When you visit X.com on any of the leading browsers, you’ll be redirected to Twitter’s website.
The Chief Twit, as he used to describe his Twitter profile after buying the company, reportedly informed Twitter employees about the rebranding the night before announcing it. His email also stated that it would be his final one from a Twitter address, according to Platformer managing editor Zoe Schiffer on Threads.
Speaking of which, Twitter’s abrupt brand refresh comes a few weeks after Meta launched its own text-based social app, Threads, in an attempt to provide an alternative platform for disgruntled Twitter users in the Elon Musk era.
However, the change is not surprising given Musk’s fondness for the letter X. In April, Twitter Inc. was merged into X Holdings Corp., a company owned and created by Musk, as part of the Twitter acquisition. It was a move that reflected his ambition to create a “super app” a la WeChat.
Musk’s other businesses also have the letter X attached to their names. His rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is more commonly known as SpaceX. He also founded a financial services startup named X.com in 1999, a company we now know as PayPal.
The rebranding could be seen as a way for Musk to stamp his own mark on Twitter. He has a history of making bold changes to companies he acquires, and the rebranding of Twitter might be seen as another example of this, at the risk of alienating some existing Twitter users and advertisers.