Twitter begins rebrand to ‘X,’ removing bird from company logo
Twitter began its rebrand to “X” early Monday, replacing the widely recognized blue bird on its official account and site and replacing it with the letter in a black and white design.
The changes came after billionaire owner Elon Musk said his social media platform will retire the blue bird logo – and eventually the Twitter name – as part of his effort to overhaul the company.
The “X,” was featured on Twitter’s own account, along with some branding on the site, though the blue bird logo and other references to the Twitter name could still be found in certain places.
Musk’s account also took on an X logo. Twitter chief executive Linda Yaccarino tweeted, “X is here! Let’s do this.”
Amid tweets asking users whether the brand should change its default color from blue to black or white, Musk said Sunday: “Soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
The “X” matches Musk’s early payment processing company X.com and the recently named parent company of Twitter, X Holdings.
Early Monday, the URL X.com was redirecting to the Twitter site.
Musk has spoken repeatedly of his hopes to make Twitter part of an “everything app” that would include a payment system as well as communications.
Musk’s announcement caught Twitter employees and users by surprise. At midday Sunday, the company’s webpage on branding still declared: “Our logo is our most recognizable asset. That’s why we’re so protective of it.”
In later tweets, Yaccarino declared that “X is the future state of unlimited interactivity,” including payments and the buying and selling of “goods, services, and opportunities” that will be “powered by AI.”
Branding experts and former employees, including some Musk had elevated before dismissing, were openly critical of the decision.
“Looking forward to Elon stans explaining to me how destroying a universally-recognizable brand is a smart business decision,” tweeted marketing entrepreneur Ben Parr, president of Octane AI.
Former head of product Esther Crawford tweeted: “Corporate seppuku: destroying your own product or brand.
Usually committed by new management in pursuit of cost-savings due to a lack of understanding about the core business or disregard for the customer experience. The result is a massive loss of shareholder value.”
The identity change would follow other radical shifts Musk has pushed through since buying the global conversation platform for $44 billion in October.