Twitter officially ditched its iconic blue bird logo for a simple white X on a black background. The move is one of a series of drastic changes the company has made since it was purchased by billionaire Elon Musk last year. The tech mogul, who is better known for his work at SpaceX and Tesla, has been working to revamp the social media site.
The rebranding comes amid widespread speculation that the social network is preparing for a complete overhaul. Rumors have been swirling that the site could change its name, introduce a new logo, and completely redesign its user interface. It has also been reported that the company would lay off staff due to the planned changes.
On Monday, Mr. Musk teased that he might soon bid farewell to the Twitter brand and, “gradually, all birds.” He also posted a screenshot of his conversation with a Twitter user and responded, “As promised.”
Currently, the new logo is only visible on the web version of Twitter. The loading screen now features Kabosu, the Shiba Inu that inspired the Doge meme, and the homepage display picture has also been updated to the dog.
X is an essential symbol in Musk’s vision for the future of Twitter. He hopes to turn it into an “everything app” similar to China’s WeChat that can handle payment, ridesharing, shopping, and other services in addition to social media. The company changed its official business name to X Corp in April to reflect this plan.
The company also launched a new X-themed mobile app. It needs to be clarified whether the new branding will be rolled out to other devices, but it likely will. Twitter’s rebranding efforts come as the company struggles to profit and stem steep losses from stagnating ad sales. The loss of its bird logo significantly blows the company’s iconic brand.
Twitter users have responded to the rebranding with dismay. Many have called the move a mistake and said it will alienate millennials. Others have questioned the logic behind destroying a universally recognized symbol for a few dollars.
Despite the criticism, some have praised the decision to replace the blue bird with an X. The new design looks more modern and may attract younger users who are more familiar with the letter X than the bird.
Early this morning, Mr. Musk tweeted an image of the X branding beamed across Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco. He also teased that the new logo would appear in a video about the company’s financial struggles. The rebranding comes amid widespread reports that Twitter is hemorrhaging money and has been cutting costs. In December, the company cut janitorial services in its Market Street headquarters, leading employees to bring their toilet paper to work. The company has also been in a long-standing dispute with its building’s landlord, SRI International.
