After less than a year of acquiring the social media giant Twitter for a whopping $44 billion, Elon Musk decided to rebrand it as X.com. The transition has already begun at Twitter’s headquarters, where conference rooms have been renamed to reflect the change. According to The New York Times, Musk opted for names like “eXposure,” “eXult,” and “s3Xy” for these rooms. The official unveiling of the new X logo took place at the San Francisco headquarters, replacing the iconic bird logo that had been in use for over a decade.
Interestingly, the famous blue bird logo was removed from the headquarters cafeteria. Additionally, there were plans to release the six letters spelling “Twitter” from the building’s exterior. Still, the San Francisco Police Department halted this because it was considered unauthorized work.
Musk explained the rebranding, stating that he chose “X” because he envisions Twitter evolving into an “everything app.” He pointed out that “Twitter” made sense when the platform was mainly used for short 140-character messages like birds tweeting. However, with the platform now capable of hosting various types of content, including lengthy videos, a more versatile name like “X” fits better.
In the coming months, Musk revealed that the company has plans to expand its offerings, including “comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world.”
The current CEO of Twitter, Linda Yaccarino, further explained the vision behind the new “X” logo, emphasizing that it represents the future of unlimited interactivity. This interactivity would be centered around various aspects such as audio, video, messaging, payments, and banking, creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. The use of AI would play a significant role in enabling these interactions, connecting people in ways that were previously unimaginable.
The “everything app” concept resembles China’s popular WeChat app, which serves as an all-in-one platform for numerous functions. It’s worth noting that Musk has been fond of the letter “X” and has used it repeatedly across his companies. He previously co-founded x.com, an online bank, in 1999, which eventually became PayPal. Musk repurchased the domain x.com from PayPal in 2017 due to its sentimental value.
As a result of this rebranding, the domain x.com now redirects to Twitter.
In a memo to employees, Yaccarino shared that the company would now focus on developing new audio, video, messaging, payments, and banking features. The goal is to transform Twitter into a multifunctional platform catering to diverse user needs and experiences.
