Twitter is undergoing a significant transformation as it rebrands itself as X.com, complete with a new logo replacing the iconic blue bird. The decision was put to Twitter’s 149.1 million followers by owner Elon Musk, who also owns Tesla and xAI. Musk, in an interview on Twitter Spaces, expressed that the rebranding should have been carried out earlier. To mark the occasion, he plans to remove the old logo from the Twitter headquarters building using blowtorches. The X logo is set to go live on Sunday.
However, not everyone is convinced that rebranding with a “generic placeholder symbol” is a wise move. Jason Goldman, Twitter’s former head of product, criticized the decision, drawing parallels with Warner Bros. Discovery’s previous controversy over removing HBO from its Max streaming platform’s brand.
Musk’s fondness for the 24th letter of the alphabet is evident. It is reflected in the names of his ventures such as SpaceX and his former online banking start-up X.com (later renamed PayPal). He even named one of his sons “X AE A-12,” though it was adjusted to “X AE A-Xii” due to Californian naming laws. Musk refers to his son simply as “X.”
The advertising industry’s response to this rebranding could be a critical factor for the platform. Musk has noted a 50% decrease in advertising revenue for Twitter and expressed disappointment that the turnaround has not been as swift as he anticipated. As of the second quarter, Twitter remains cash-flow negative.
