The CEO of Twitter has introduced the social media site’s new logo, which has a white X on a black backdrop and will replace the blue bird.
Linda Yaccarino tweeted on Monday morning, “X is here! Let’s get started.”
According to Elon Musk, blue bird’s owner, “tweets” will be phased out, and posts will be referred to as “x’s.”
The billionaire updated his blue bird profile image to reflect the new logo and added “X.com” to his bio.
Mr. Musk wants to build a “super app” named X,” his idea for a new type of social media network that he has been discussing for months.
On Sunday, the billionaire announced plans to replace blue bird’s emblem, writing on blue bird, “And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
He then posted a photo of the new X branding projected onto the side of blue bird’s San Francisco offices.
Mr. Musk, who has renamed the company X Corp., stated that the replacement “should have been done a long time ago.”
Mr. Musk tweeted a picture of a blinking “X,” and later in a blue bird Spaces audio discussion, he said “Yes” when asked if the blue bird logo would change.
Ms. Yaccarino said on the platform that the rebranding was a “fantastic new opportunity.”
“Twitter had a huge impact and changed the way we communicated,” she remarked.
“Now, X will go one step further, transforming the global town square.”
Larry is an homage to basketball hero and Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird, according to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone in 2011.
People flocked to Twitter to express their sadness over the loss of the famous emblem, including Martin Grasser, who designed it in 2012.
“Today we bid farewell to this great blue bird,” he remarked. Later, Twitter’s most well-known co-founder, Jack Dorsey, reposted the message.
The all-encompassing app
For certain people in Asia, super-apps like India’s PayTM and Indonesia’s GoJek have become an essential part of daily life in recent years.
The applications allow consumers to pay for services using a financial system.
WeChat is a messaging and social media platform that has grown to become one of the region’s most popular applications in terms of service offerings and user base.
It was projected last year that it had 1.29 billion users in China alone.
“Musk is going full throttle for the everything app space, leaving old Twitter in his wake and eyeing the successes of Asia’s trailblazers like WeChat and Moj,” said Drew Benvie, social media expert and CEO of digital consultancy Battenhall.
“Success in just a few additional services, such as shopping or payments, may be all that is required to make X better than Twitter.” However, there are already so many alternatives that Musk and company are playing a massive game of catch-up.”
Twitter’s website claims that its emblem, a blue bird, is “our most recognisable asset.”
“That’s why we’re so protective of it,” it went on to say.
In April, the company briefly updated the logo with Dogecoin’s Shiba Inu dog, contributing to a jump in the joke coin’s market value.
A group of Dogecoin investors then accused Mr. Musk of insider trading, claiming he benefited from pushing up the value of Dogecoin.
Rapid rebranding
According to business pundit Justin Urquhart Stewart, Twitter’s “loyal but ageing base” would be upset by the changes.
“The younger generations have moved on to other apps, and Twitter appears to be a little out of date.”
“Elon Musk needs to be careful because he is almost starting from scratch with an older audience while damaging the original brand,” he added.
Twitter’s fast rebranding has also raised some security concerns.
According to Jake Moore, global cyber consultant at security firm ESET, the change in corporate name might facilitate phishing, in which hackers mimic individuals or companies in order to steal customers’ data.
“A rebrand is the perfect opportunity to send phishing emails requesting users to sign in via a new URL from a link within that email—but of course that link wouldn’t be genuine, and that’s where people could be tricked into handing over their genuine Twitter credentials without their usual level of caution,” he explained to the BBC.
“Cybercriminals, particularly those looking for that new URL, can easily prey on this.”
Obsession with X
Mr. Musk has long been fascinated by the letter X, though no one knows why.
In 1999, X.com, an online banking platform, was one of his earliest business initiatives.
Mr. Musk gained $165 million three years later when X.com, which had amalgamated with PayPal, was purchased by eBay.
