Why is Twitter rebranding to X?
SINCE taking over Twitter, Tesla founder Elon Musk has made several drastic changes.
In a series of tweets posted in July 2023, Elon Musk revealed that his latest change involves getting rid of the iconic bird logo, and now users want to know the meaning behind the switch.
Why is Twitter rebranding to X?
Musk’s rebrand of Twitter is in full swing, from adding direct messaging limits and a new verification system to now launching an entirely new logo.
"And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds," he wrote on July 23, 2023, the same day that users started noticing the new X logo.
"It should have been done a long time ago, sorry it took so long," he added.
In a July 24 Twitter post, Musk revealed the reason for the rebranding.
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"Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing," Musk said.
He added, "The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140 character messages going back and forth – like birds tweeting – but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video.
"In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world. The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird."
For years Musk has favored the “X” branding, from the banking startup he cofounded in 1999, x.com, to the spacecraft engineering company he launched in 2002, SpaceX, as well as his 2023 AI venture, xAI, the 24th letter in the alphabet seems to hold a symbolic meaning to the billionaire.
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Do users have to pay for Twitter now?
Twitter was first launched in March 2006 by founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass, and for the most part, has remained free for users.
However, after Musk took over, he implemented a premium subscription service that requires users to pay a monthly fee.
It is still free for users to sign up and post tweets, but for those who want a blue checkmark, the ability to edit tweets, the ability to write longer tweets, or have fewer ads, it will cost them $8 per month on the web or $11 per month on the app.
Blue checkmarks used to be free on Twitter so long as your account met the requirements, but after Twitter Blue launched, all previously verified accounts lost it unless they subscribed.
When did Elon Musk buy Twitter?
Musk's Twitter takeover began on October 27, 2022, after he bought the company for $44billion, which was $2.5billion less than the original deal due to decreased Twitter stocks.
The Tesla founder wasted no time getting to work, and within a week, he had fired former CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and Vijaya Gadde, the head of legal policy, trust, and safety, according to The Washington Post.
He also dissolved the entire Twitter board, which made him the "sole director" of the site.
"There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has been wrong," Musk explained in a statement after receiving backlash.
"The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.
"There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right-wing and far left-wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society."
He went on to criticize "traditional media" and claim that the "relentless pursuit of clicks" had a negative effect on users.
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"That is why I bought Twitter. I didn't do it because it would be easy," he continued.
"I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love."