Elon Musk, the dynamic maverick who gained ownership of Twitter – rechristened as X Corp – has set the social media landscape abuzz by announcing plans to replace the platform’s iconic blue bird logo with an “X”. Known for his controversial and often outlandish statements, Musk firmly stated that this transformation has been long in the making.
Under Musk’s audacious leadership, X Corp aims to build a “super app” resembling China’s versatile social media behemoth, WeChat. Codenamed “X”, Musk unveiled his intentions to bid farewell to the Twitter brand and its bird-themed elements on Sunday. Adding to the anticipation, he proposed that if an impressive “X” logo were to appear that night, it could be swiftly implemented across the platform by the next day.
Musk turned to the very platform he wishes to change, sharing an image of a flickering “X” on Twitter. During an ensuing audio conversation on Twitter Spaces, he doubled down on his commitment to the logo change, reinforcing the idea that the shift was past due.
The concept of super-apps isn’t new, particularly in Asia. Platforms like India’s PayTM and Indonesia’s GoJek have deeply integrated themselves into everyday life, providing users with financial services for a range of activities. Among these, WeChat stands out as a multi-service social media platform, boasting an impressive user base of approximately 1.29 billion users in China as of last year.
Twitter’s emblematic blue bird, long recognized as its signature asset, could soon be relegated to the annals of history under Musk’s unconventional stewardship. His unpredictable leadership was highlighted in April when he briefly switched the logo to the Shiba Inu dog from Dogecoin, inciting a sudden surge in the meme currency’s market value. This move, however, sparked a controversy, leading to accusations of insider trading from a group of Dogecoin investors.
Musk’s tenure has also seen its share of operational upheavals. The decision to cap the daily tweet views for different account categories drew ire from users and marketers alike. Unexpectedly, this move provided a significant boost to Meta’s competitor service Threads, which experienced an explosive growth in user sign-ups within days of its debut.
Adding to the growing list of challenges facing X Corp under Musk, a lawsuit was filed this week alleging the company’s failure to pay out more than $500m in severance dues to former employees. Since Musk took over, the workforce has been drastically reduced, with over half of the employees having been laid off. Amidst this tumult, the world watches with bated breath as Musk’s ambitious vision for X Corp continues to unfold.