Elon Musk’s decision to rebrand Twitter’s name to X signifies his goals to create what he terms an ‘everything app’.
Musk explained, “Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the ‘everything app’. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing.”
Musk added, “The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140-character messages going back and forth—like birds tweeting—but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video. In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world. The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird.”
Many business analysts consider this move risky. They see that this move will undo the years of branding for Twitter’s blue bird. Twitter is already struggling to keep advertisers as Musk’s modifications on the site have led few to fear it is not a safe marketplace for brands.
Musk recently recruited Linda Yaccarino as CEO, seen as a push to reassure advertisers.
In a message to staff, Yaccarino mentioned the reason for the name change, “Our usage is at an all-time high and we’ll continue to delight our entire community with new experiences in audio, video, messaging, payments, banking — creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.”