UPDATE July 28: Over the weekend, X, previously identified as Twitter, officially abandoned its signature blue and white bird logo. The application’s icon switched to an “X” late on Friday night, marking the newest stage in a comprehensive rebrand announced by Elon Musk, the site’s owner, earlier this month. Musk’s decision to rename Twitter as X aligns with his ambition to evolve the platform into what he has termed an “everything app.”
UPDATE July 26: On Tuesday, Elon Musk shook things up by briefly altering X’s logo, only to return it to its original design shortly after. This comes right on the heels of his unexpected decision to ditch Twitter’s classic blue bird.
The speed and seemingly random nature of his efforts to transform the platform into a “do-it-all app” have left onlookers both amazed and confused, especially considering the abandonment of notable and valued features.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The logo’s refresh wasn’t too drastic—simply a thicker-lined white “X” set against a black backdrop.
- Musk unveiled the freshened-up logo in a video on X. Before long, it was seen on the platform’s main page and as Musk’s profile pic.
- But in a surprise turnaround, Musk chose to go back to the initial design just a few hours later.
- The reason? As he put it in a post on X, “I don’t like the thicker bars.”
- Currently, you’ll see the original, thinner-lined “X” design on both the Twitter or X site and Musk’s profile.
- Musk hinted that we should brace for more alterations, stating, “the logo will evolve over time.”
UPDATE: Elon Musk just tweeted about an hour ago that “X.com now points to twitter.com,” and that the “Interim X logo goes live later today.”
NEW YORK (AP) – As reported by AP, Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, revealed plans today to revolutionize the Twitter logo, transforming it from its iconic bird to an “X”. This surprising announcement signals another significant change after Musk’s $44 billion purchase of the renowned social media platform in the previous year.
Musk disclosed this intention in a sequence of tweets shortly past midnight ET, indicating that the new logo could be seen on a global scale as early as tomorrow, Monday.
“Twitter’s brand, along with all birds, will soon be a thing of the past,” Musk stated on his account. He added, “And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” followed by a second tweet adding that “if a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make go live worldwide tomorrow.”
Elon Musk has consistently shared his goal of creating a comprehensive app, fusing the elements of social media and payment functionalities, akin to China’s acclaimed WeChat, a property of the major Chinese technology company, Tencent.
WeChat serves as a fundamental part of Chinese life, being utilized by over a billion users for an array of purposes, including socializing, instant messaging, food delivery, and taxi services. Its ubiquity and wide range of applications in daily life have earned it the moniker “the app for everything”.
Additional Developments
Musk, who’s also Tesla’s CEO, earlier this month implemented new restrictions on Twitter. The decision sparked a fierce backlash, raising concerns about the potential loss of advertisers and the diminishing cultural sway of Twitter as a trendsetter.
The elevated tweet-viewing limit was introduced as part of Musk’s $8 monthly subscription scheme, launched this year to enhance Twitter’s revenue stream. After Musk’s acquisition and workforce reduction of about 75% to cut expenses and dodge bankruptcy, revenue experienced a considerable downturn.
In an effort to steer the company’s trajectory, Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino, a seasoned executive from NBC Universal, as Twitter’s CEO in May.
Advertisers: A Critical Factor
Winning back advertisers has become a crucial task for Musk and Twitter, as many initially retreated following Musk’s takeover. The turmoil resulted in hesitancy among brands, fearing damage due to the increasingly hostile content permitted under Musk’s changes, which has estranged a larger segment of the platform’s users.
Musk announced in late April that advertisers were re-engaging with Twitter, but details were scant.
Competition and the Logo Change
The drastic shift in Twitter’s logo comes at a time when the platform is confronted with fresh competition from Meta’s latest app, Threads, launched earlier this month. Threads have been positioned as a viable alternative for those disenchanted with Twitter.
Billed as a text-centric version of Meta’s photo-sharing platform Instagram, the company claims Threads offers “a separate environment for live updates and public discourse.”
Within the initial five days following its launch, Threads had accumulated a staggering 100 million sign-ups, as stated in a post by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram.
