Twitter’s iconic blue bird logo is changing to an X, says Elon Musk: NPR
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during an event to launch the new Tesla Model X Crossover SUV in September 2015 in Fremont, California. The billionaire has a long affinity with the letter “X”.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during an event to launch the new Tesla Model X Crossover SUV in September 2015 in Fremont, California. The billionaire has a long affinity with the letter “X”.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
More changes are coming to Elon Musk’s Twitter, as the site’s billionaire owner announced plans to replace the company’s iconic blue bird logo with the letter “X.”
A temporary new logo is expected to go live sometime on Sunday, Musk said, when he announced that URL X.com will now automatically redirect users to Twitter.
Together, the two changes mark the latest and arguably most dramatic changes for the social platform since the billionaire’s purchase last year.
Musk announced on Twitter the possibility of a new logo shortly after midnight on Sunday. He also posted a video of what could possibly be the new design, a black and white san-serif “X.”
“Not sure what subtle cues tipped it off, but I like the letter X,” Musk wrote.
Musk already hinted at the change last October when he was days away from officially owning the company. “Buying Twitter is an accelerator to make X, the everything app,” he so on Twitter.
Musk’s vision for an “everything app” has been compared to platforms such as the ubiquitous WeChat app in China.
“He wants to create an app similar to how WeChat is used in China, where it’s part of everyday life. You use it to communicate, consume news, buy things, pay your rent, book an appointment with your doctor and even pay fines,” writes Ashlee Vance. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Futuretold NPR in an interview in May.
For years, the billionaire has been known to have an affinity for the letter X — though he’s shared little explanation as to why.
In one of his earliest ventures, Musk called his online bank X.com. That name was later dropped when the platform merged with a competitor to become PayPal.
“Everybody tried to talk him out of naming the company that at the time because of the sexual innuendo, but he really liked it and stuck with it,” Vance said.
“X” is already the name of Tesla’s third electric car model, which debuted in 2015. Musk’s space company is also widely referred to as SpaceX. And in 2020, Musk and his then-partner, Canadian musician Grimes, named their youngest son “X Æ A-12.”
