Twitter replaces bird logo with X in Musk’s latest rebranding

As part of the rebranding of micro-blogging platform, Twitter, the owner, Elon Musk, has changed the bird logo to an X.

Part of the rebranding process saw Twitter launch a new website ‘x.com’, which redirects users to Twitter once clicked. In addition, Musk has also posted a picture of Twitter’s headquarters, showing it has been rebranded to ‘X’.

He also reportedly sent an email Sunday night to Twitter employees telling them the company would become X, and that it was the last time he would email from a Twitter address.

Announcing the rebranding in a Tweet, Musk said: “Soon, we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand, and gradually, all the birds.”

The branding is said to be a major move to overhaul the social media company to improve its financial position. As part of the rebranding, posts on Twitter will be known as X’s, instead of tweets, according to Musk.

The X logo ties in with X Corp, a shell company formed in April that now houses Twitter. Bloomberg reported at the time Musk was exploring using the X brand to create an “everything app” similar to Tencent Holdings’ WeChat.

Twitter Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccarino, added that the design overhaul is just the beginning of Twitter’s transformation into a “global marketplace” for various services spanning messaging to banking.

“X is the future state of unlimited interactivity centred in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us in ways we’re beginning to imagine.

“For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential. X will do that and more.

“We’ve already started to see X take shape over the past eight months through our rapid feature launches, but we’re just getting started,” Yaccarino stated.

She said there’s no limit to the transformation that would be witnessed by the company, adding that X would be the platform that can deliver “everything.”

The branding overhaul comes after Musk stated last week the company had lost almost half of its advertising revenue since he completed the takeover in October 2022, resulting in heavy debt and negative cash flow. During his ownership of the company, he has also laid off thousands of staff and pushed paid-for features.

While the rebranding will generate much hype, Research Director at Forrester Mike Proulx told Reuters it could also alienate “Twitter’s original, and once fiercely loyal user base.”