Twitter rebranded to X

The social media giant, owned by multi-billionaire Elon Musk since October, has undergone a huge transformation. The move to update the brand’s identity follows on from Musk’s plans to turn Twitter into an ‘everything app’.

Musk unveiled the identity update by changing his X profile picture to the new logo last night. This coincided with him uploading a picture onto the platform of the X logo projected onto the company’s San Francisco headquarters. The simple logo features an ‘X’ in white font on a black background.

Twitter’s managing director, Linda Yaccarino, said last night, “It’s an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression. Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square.

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

Renaming Twitter to X falls in line with the names of other enterprises owned by Musk, including SpaceX and xAI. Twitter’s company name had already been changed to X Corp. back in April.

“Not sure what subtle clues gave it way [sic], but I like the letter X,” Musk said in a post on X yesterday.

In terms of other visual elements we can expect, Musk also hinted his appreciation for Art Deco, and that X may incorporate the early 20th century style into its design.

The news has received generally negative responses online, with many uncertain about the decision to move away from the iconic name and logo.

“Why rebrand Twitter? It's an incredibly strong brand - even among those who do not use it,” said one X user.

Meanwhile, British public broadcaster Channel 4 humorously took to X saying, “People still call our streaming service 4OD so good luck.”

As of December 2022, it is believed that Twitter has over 368 million active worldwide monthly users.