Why is Twitter called X now?
August 16, 2023In a surprising turn of events, Twitter, the platform known for its blue bird, underwent a complete transformation and took on a new name: "X". The announcement came on July 22, 2023, leaving users and the public in a whirlwind of curiosity and speculation.
The driving force behind this radical change is Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for his bold and unconventional moves. Musk explained that the name change aims to signify Twitter's evolution into an all-encompassing platform, becoming "the everything app".
According to Linda Yaccarino, the company's CEO at the time, the new X would offer unlimited interactivity, encompassing audio, video, messaging, and even payments and banking services. It promised to create a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities, but sceptics wondered whether the platform could deliver on such grand promises.
The roots of the X rebranding can be traced back to Elon Musk's early ventures. In 1999, he founded the original X.com, which eventually merged with Confinity and later rebranded as PayPal. Fast forward to 2017, Musk acquired X.com from PayPal, citing "great sentimental value" as the motivation behind the purchase. The domain then became the catalyst for Twitter's transformation.
Despite the name change, many elements of Twitter's familiar features remained intact. However, both the iOS and Android apps adopted the new name "X", with "tweets" replaced by "posts" to match the rebranding. While the alterations may have seemed relatively minor, they sparked a wave of controversies.
The most prominent issue revolved around a colossal X logo installed on top of the company's headquarters in San Francisco. Local authorities said the sign violated city permits, leading to tension with the company's management. Inspectors tried to assess the situation but were denied access, and nearby residents complained about the excessive brightness of the illuminated symbol. The sign was removed after a few days; read more about why Musk rebranded Twitter and how the sign came down.
Another point of contention was the new X logo itself. Some experts suggested that it bears a striking resemblance to Monotype's Special Alphabets 4 font, raising concerns over possible copyright infringement. Monotype, however, denied any direct involvement, leaving the origin of the design in question.
The X rebrand also faced legal hurdles. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben warned that the company could face lawsuits over the name change, as there are nearly 900 active trademark registrations in the U.S. for the letter X across various industries. Microsoft and Meta are among those with existing trademarks for the letter X, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
Trademark experts argued that X's protection is likely confined to graphics very similar to its new X logo, meaning that marks with slight differences may not infringe its trademark. Nevertheless, possible legal battles remained a significant concern for the platform's future.
What has happened since the rebrand (updated October 2026)
The rebrand took almost a year to complete: on May 17, 2024, the platform officially moved from twitter.com to x.com. Later in 2024, Musk moved X's headquarters from San Francisco to Bastrop, Texas. On March 28, 2025, Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI acquired X in an all-stock deal that valued the platform at $33 billion (read more about xAI and its race with OpenAI). On July 9, 2025, Linda Yaccarino announced that she was stepping down as CEO. In February 2026, SpaceX acquired xAI, so X is now part of Musk's space company.
The "everything app" ambitions have not gone away: in January 2025, X announced plans for X Money, a digital wallet for payments on the platform, with Visa as a partner. Three years after the bird disappeared, the X name has stuck. Whether X becomes the all-in-one platform Musk promised is still an open question.
