Elon Musk-owned Twitter changes blue bird logo to ‘X’

Elon Musk-owned Twitter on Monday launched its new logo, X, which replaced the blue bird as part of a wider rebranding. The social media network’s site and Twitter accounts showed the new logo, a white X on a black background.

“Interim X logo goes live later today”, the Twitter boss tweeted. He also wrote that the site x.com points to the Twitter website. Twitter’s official account now reads “X”, with a black background and the letter X in a white design. Elon Musk’s official account also has the logo as his display picture and a small icon next to the blue tick, where the blue bird logo previously was. The new logo is the latest change that Musk has bought to the social media platform since he bought it for USD 44 billion last year.

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Under Musk’s tumultuous tenure, the company has seen many changes including large-scale sackings, charges for previously free services, return of previously banned right-wing accounts and changes to content moderation. He has also changed its business name to X Corp, reflecting his vision to create a ‘super app’ like China’s WeChat. Last October, he had stated that “buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app”. Musk’s rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp, is commonly known as SpaceX. In 1999, he founded a startup called X.com, an online financial services company now known as PayPal.

While x.com takes the user to the Twitter website, the logo change has also been reflected on Twitter’s web application. An update or change in the logo on Twitter’s iOS and Android apps in India is awaited. Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino confirmed the logo choice, which was described as “minimalist art deco” by Musk. She tweeted, “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.” She added that X is the future of “unlimited interactivity centred in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking”.

Powered by AI, X will create a global marketplace for ideas, goods and services, and opportunities, connecting people “in ways we’re just beginning to imagine,” her tweet read. Musk had tweeted a picture of himself with his hands crossed as ‘X’ Sunday, as a “subtle clue” that he had chosen the 24th letter of the English alphabet as Twitter’s symbol. Musk also announced that the platform will say goodbye to the Twitter brand, and apparently the bird logo as well. “And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” he tweeted.