The (Real) Reasons Elon’s Rebranding Twitter to X

Elon Musk has declared his intention rebrand Twitter to “X” - a “back to the future” move that he has hinted at for some time.

We shouldn’t be surprised.

Despite all the hue and cry, the rebranding of the iconic bird app to a more mysterious, but potentially more powerful “X”, isn’t a bombshell picked out of the thin air in Musk’s brain.

This isn’t a random idea thought up on the spur of the moment; it isn’t the result of some nonsensical feud with authorities, advertisers or other real or imaginary adversaries.

It is a calculated move by Elon Musk.

And it makes sense.

Here are the two (real) reasons that Twitter has to go - and X will replace it.

1. Bad vibes - One of the main reasons for a company to rebrand is always to make a break with the past and power into the future. Sometimes its just a refresh, more often it stems from the bad vibes that are associated with the old brand. This is the case at Twitter.

   Whether the bad vibes are all Elon’s fault is up for discussion. On one point, it is clear - Twitter was a money-losing company overall. Its cute blue bird logo, while iconic and memorable, portrays a nice, happy company that putters along with little to no purpose in life.

   Elon’s stated goal from the beginning is to “win” with Twitter. An aggressive and successful company is hard to develop under the banner of a cute animal, no matter how much “tweeting” has become part of the this generation’s vocabulary.

2. It’s the product, stupid - A brand is always more than just its logo, of course.

   And Elon Musk knows this.

   As long as Twitter remains Twitter, its users will think about “tweeting” first and foremost. That is, after all, what most people do with the app. But that single feature won’t grow the product nor the company. To brand out and be true “platform” - Twitter as an application rightfully must grow beyond the short messaging posting that made it what it is today.

   If Twitter is to become an “everything app” as Musk envisions it - the logo has to go.

   And so does the whole Twitter brand.