For over a 10 year, Twitter has been easily recognizable by its iconic blue and white bird logo, which became a symbol of the platform's unique culture and language. The term "tweet" became a commonly used verb, referring to posting on the platform, and "tweeps" became the affectionate name for Twitter employees.
However, late on Sunday, Elon Musk initiated a significant transformation. The tech billionaire, who acquired Twitter last year, decided to rebrand the social platform as X.com on its website and began replacing the traditional bird logo with a stylized version of the 24th letter of the Latin alphabet, "X."
Inside Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco, further changes were evident on Monday. The cafeteria projected X logos, and conference rooms were renamed with words containing the letter X, such as "eXposure," "eXult," and "s3Xy," as seen in photos obtained by The New York Times. Employees also started removing bird-related decorations, including a large blue logo in the cafeteria.
Outside the building, workers even attempted to remove the first six letters of Twitter's name from the facade, but their actions were halted by the San Francisco Police Department, which intervened citing the work as "unauthorized."
For a while, Mr. Musk had been considering a name change, and he finally accelerated the process by making an announcement on Twitter early Sunday. In his tweet, he stated that they would soon say goodbye to the Twitter brand and gradually move away from any references to birds. His vision is to transform Twitter into an all-encompassing "everything app" called X, which would go beyond social networking and include functionalities like banking and shopping.
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Musk shared a photo of a prominent X displayed on Twitter's San Francisco office building, captioning it as "Our headquarters tonight."
These changes represent the most visible alterations Mr. Musk has implemented on Twitter since finalizing the acquisition in October. While he has been actively restructuring the company behind the scenes, which included laying off thousands of employees and modifying platform features such as user verification badges and content policies, the recent name and logo changes have garnered widespread attention.
By starting the process of removing the Twitter name, Mr. Musk has effectively discarded a well-established brand that had been present since the company's inception in 2006, and had become a source of delight and frustration for celebrities, politicians, athletes, and other users alike. The introduction of the blue bird mascot in 2010 and its subsequent updates further solidified the logo's association with the platform over the years.
The recent shift in branding on Twitter has left many long-time users feeling disconnected. Actor Mark Hamill tweeted his disapproval of the new logo on Monday, using the hashtag #ByeByeBirdie, expressing his sentiment along with other users who still insist on referring to the platform as Twitter and continuing to "tweet."
When brands become verbs, like "tweet," it signifies a significant achievement in becoming ingrained in popular culture, according to Mike Proulx, a vice president and research director at Forrester. Twitter, as an app, has become a cultural phenomenon in various ways. However, with Elon Musk's rebranding move, he has essentially erased 15 years of brand value associated with Twitter, putting the platform back at the starting point.
Mr. Musk's decision to overhaul Twitter's brand comes with some risks, as it could potentially upset the user base he needs to retain. His company is already facing financial challenges and heightened competition, with Meta launching its own app for real-time public conversations called Threads, which has gained massive popularity in a short time.
According to Mike Carr, co-founder of the branding company NameStormers, the new X logo chosen by Musk could be perceived as having a menacing "Big Brother" tech overlord vibe. In contrast to the warm and familiar blue bird logo, the new logo appears to be harsh and somewhat uninviting.
However, the new X logo still evokes phrases like "X marks the spot," which could serve as a way for Mr. Musk to distinguish the platform from its previous association with Twitter, as suggested by Mr. Carr.
Mr. Carr, who has extensive experience in branding and has worked with various clients, including CarMax, believes that if this rebranding were attempted by anyone other than Elon Musk, it would carry a higher risk of being mocked. However, Mr. Musk's reputation and influence may provide some insulation against potential ridicule.
The interest in the name "X" is not new for Mr. Musk. Back in 1999, he was involved in founding X.com, an online bank. Eventually, the company merged with another startup, leading to the formation of what is now known as PayPal. Interestingly, in 2017, Mr. Musk mentioned repurchasing the X.com domain from PayPal, citing the domain's sentimental value to him, although he had no specific plans for it at that time.
Mr. Musk's affinity for the letter "X" is evident in various aspects of his ventures. For instance, his electric automaker, Tesla, offers a sport utility vehicle called the Model X. Additionally, one of Mr. Musk's sons, named X Æ A-12 Musk, is commonly referred to as X for simplicity. The holding companies established during the acquisition of Twitter were named X Holdings. Furthermore, Mr. Musk is also involved in leading an artificial intelligence company named xAI.
In a post on Sunday, Mr. Musk openly expressed his fondness for the letter X.
His dissatisfaction with Twitter's previous corporate culture is evident, as he has voiced concerns about the abundance of bird-related references in the company's internal team names and products. He even changed the name of a crowdsourced fact-checking feature from "Birdwatch" to "Community Notes" at one point. Recently, he had someone cover the "w" in Twitter's name at the company's San Francisco headquarters.
Although some people were not bothered by the rebranding, Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged that while a rebrand might not be essential to achieving Mr. Musk's vision, there could be an argument in its favor. He noted that the Twitter brand carries significant baggage, but ultimately, the most crucial aspect is the utility the platform provides, not its name.
The previous Twitter bird logo, designed in 2011 by a team that included San Francisco artist Martin Grasser, was intended to convey simplicity, brevity, and clarity. The goal was to create a memorable logo similar to iconic brands like Apple and Nike.
According to Mr. Grasser, he respects Mr. Musk's right to make decisions about the brand, but he expressed a hope that the Twitter bird logo remains associated with positive cultural memories. He envisions the bird logo transcending its ties to the company and becoming a symbol that belongs to the broader culture, leaving behind a lasting and fond impression on people's minds.