Twitter begins rebrand to X

The company is shedding 15 years of brand equity as it begins a move to be known as an "everything app."

Twitter users who signed on to the platform’s webpage on Monday morning were greeted with their first look at what the social network will look like in the future.

The change came after Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted over the weekend that the platform would “soon” be shifting away from the Twitter brand to X, and “gradually” eliminate of its bird-related branding.

“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,” Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted on Sunday. “Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine.”

As of Monday morning, the logo on Twitter’s desktop website and several company-operated accounts were the only places where the branding had changed. Company employees also have an X logo badge appearing next to their usernames. The app still has the company’s bird logo and name, while the website still has the Twitter URL. The platforms also still refers to posts as “tweets” and “retweets,” though it is unclear whether those will also be changed in the future.

“By changing Twitter’s app name, Elon Musk will have singlehandedly wiped out over fifteen years of a brand name that has secured its place in our cultural lexicon,” said Mike Proulx, VP and research director at Forrester. “This is an extremely risky move because with ‘X,’ Musk is essentially starting over while its competition is afoot.”

Since Musk took over Twitter late last year, the platform has been plagued by massive layoffs, user frustration due to changes to core features and an exodus among advertisers concerned about brand safety and quality of service. Earlier this month, Meta launched a similar platform called Threads in an attempt to lure away Twitter. After topping 44 million daily active users shortly after launch, an analysis by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimated that number had dropped to roughly 13 million late last week.

In April, Twitter formally changed its corporate name to X Corp. The name change, and the new rebranding effort, are seen as steps in the company’s goal of transitioning from a messaging app to an “everything” app that is also used for things like payments, similar to WeChat.

“While Musk’s vision is to turn “X” into an ‘everything app,’ this takes time, money, and people – three things that the company no longer has,” Proulx said. “Disenfranchised Twitter users will increasingly turn to Threads while Musk’s company continues to lose money. Simply put, X’s runway is coming to an end.”

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