The ‘X’ Connection: How Elon Musk’s Past Shaped Twitter’s Rebranding Decision
Written by Sanjay Kumar
Elon Musk
Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Motors
- Born: 28 June 1971 (age 52 years), Pretoria, South Africa
- Net worth: 23,650 crores USD (2023) Forbes
- Children: Vivian Jenna Wilson, Nevada Alexander Musk, Griffin Musk, Damian Musk, Kai Musk, Saxon Musk
- Spouse: Talulah Riley (m. 2013–2016), Talulah Riley (m. 2010–2012), Justine Musk (m. 2000–2008)
- Parents: Errol Musk, Maye Musk
- Full name: Elon Reeve Musk
Elon Musk revealed on Sunday (July 23) that Twitter’s long-standing blue bird logo, which has symbolized the platform for more than a decade, will soon be replaced by an “X” logo. In a tweet, he announced, “X dot com now points to Twitter dot com. Interim X logo goes live later today.”
Elon Musk has been vocal about his ambition to create a comprehensive “one-stop shop” app, merging the functionalities of social media and payment apps, drawing inspiration from China’s WeChat, a popular platform owned by Tencent, the Chinese tech giant.
WeChat has become an integral part of Chinese society, boasting over 1 billion users who rely on it for various tasks, from social networking and messaging to ordering food and making payments. Its wide-ranging utility has earned it the nickname “the app for everything.”
Last year, Elon Musk controversially acquired Twitter, stating that it was a crucial step towards the realization of his vision for “X,” the everything app.
Elon Musk’s fascination with the letter “X” traces back to the 1990s when he launched the domain X.com as an online banking services platform, which eventually became a precursor to PayPal. In 2017, he reacquired the X.com domain, preserving it as an unused asset until the recent announcement about Twitter’s future.
Thanks PayPal for allowing me to buy back https://t.co/bOUOejO16Y! No plans right now, but it has great sentimental value to me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 11, 2017
The domain holds significant “sentimental value” for Musk, likely reminiscent of his early entrepreneurial days. His penchant for using the letter “X” is evident in various aspects, including naming his company SpaceX, his electric car Model X, and one of his children, X AE A-XII.
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In line with this theme, Elon Musk named Twitter’s parent company the X Corporation. He expressed his plans to make the new emblem Art Deco-style and referred to posts on the platform as “an X” under the new identity.
Recently, Musk also launched his own artificial intelligence company, xAI, to challenge OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. While xAI operates independently from his other ventures, its innovations could potentially benefit businesses like Twitter.
As things progress, many speculate that eventually, the X Corporation could bring together several of Musk’s ventures, including Twitter, under a unified banner.
