Musk explains why he rebranded Twitter to X
Twitter unveils X logo instead of Larry the bird.
Rafael Enrique | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Elon Musk’s decision to change Twitter’s name to X shows his ambition to create what he calls “an app for everything.”
“Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to enable free speech and as an accelerator for X, the app for everything. It’s not just renaming the company, but it’s the same,” explained Musk post on Monday evening.
“The name Twitter made sense when it was just a 140-character message going back and forth – like birds chirping – but now you can post almost anything, including hours of video. In the coming months, we will add comprehensive communication and the ability to manage your entire financial world. The name Twitter doesn’t make sense in this context, so we have to say goodbye to the bird.”
It’s a move that business analysts see as risky, destroying years of branding behind Twitter’s blue bird. Twitter is already struggling to retain advertisers as changes Musk has made to the site have led some to fear it is a dangerous place for brands to market.
Musk recently hired former NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yacarino as CEO, seen as a move to help appease advertisers. In a message to employees on Monday, Yacarino said of the name change: “Our usage is at an all-time high, and we will continue to delight our entire community with new experiences in audio, video, messaging, payments, banking — creating a global marketplace for ideas, products, services and opportunities.”
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