Inside Elon Musk's 25-year history and obsession with the letter X as he prepares to rename and...
Elon Musk is about to give Twitter a makeover by changing its name to 'X' without any delay. This aligns with his ongoing obsession with the letter X, which has held significance in numerous ventures throughout his career.
The recent decision, revealed through a set of posts on Twitter by the head of Tesla and SpaceX, marks another round of transformations to the online platform since Musk, who is 52 years old, acquired it towards the end of the previous year.
Musk's fondness for the letter has been blossoming for the past 25 years, both in his work and personal endeavors, yet he has seldom provided an explanation for it.
It appears that the Musk-obsessed social media giant will soon adopt the single letter as its new name.
"Excited about collaborating with Linda to revolutionize this platform into X, the ultimate application," Musk recently tweeted, mentioning the newly appointed CEO Linda Yaccarino.
Elon Musk's latest move to rename Twitter as 'X' showcases his ongoing obsession with the letter X throughout his entire career. This distinct letter has consistently played a significant role in numerous ventures undertaken by Musk.
, an online payment company co-founded by Musk. Musk became the largest shareholder of the merged entity and served as its CEO. X.com and PayPal revolutionized online transactions and quickly gained popularity worldwide.
Musk's initial undertaking was called X.com, which he initiated in 1999 as an internet-based banking and financial services platform. However, after one year, circumstances led him to resign from his position as the company's CEO.
According to NPR, Ashlee Vance, the author of Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, mentioned that despite the concerns about the suggestive undertones, everyone attempted to dissuade him from selecting the X.com domain name at that time. However, Musk was fervently attached to it and persisted in his decision.
After a span of three years, he earned a staggering $165 million when the website, which had merged with PayPal by that time, was acquired by eBay.
Later on, Musk acquired the X.com domain name once again from PayPal in 2017. Presently, that website redirects users to Twitter.
In 2017, Musk expressed his gratitude to PayPal for granting him the opportunity to repurchase X.com! Although he currently doesn't have any specific plans for it, the domain holds immense sentimental significance to him.
That specific domain was the initial big instance where Musk employed the letter X, yet it was not the final one.
Musk is additionally the creator and chief executive officer of SpaceX, which is officially recognized as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation.
He established the firm in 2002, and just recently introduced its $3 billion - a trial journey that was considered highly triumphant despite an astonishing occurrence where it exploded into a magnificent display of fire.
Both SpaceX and NASA applauded the first-ever voyage of the colossal new rocket and deemed it as thrilling and victorious. Musk, in particular, expressed great enthusiasm afterwards, promising to launch once more within a short span of time.
Tesla, a company led by Musk, distributes the Model X vehicle, which became available for purchase to the general public in 2016.
Tesla, under the leadership of Musk, offers the Model X for purchase to the general public since 2016. This vehicle, belonging to the luxurious crossover SUV category, stands out due to its distinct falcon doors.
According to Tim Higgins, the writer of Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, the concept was for the Tesla vehicles to form the word 'sexy.' Nevertheless, Ford had already claimed ownership of the Model E name, so Musk had to resort to the Model 3, which Higgins pointed out is essentially an upside-down E.
Musk also famously introduced the letter into his private life, using it as a special name for his son.
Musk and his ex-partner, the artist Grimes, caused surprise in May 2020 when they unveiled the name of their newborn child: X Æ A-12.
According to reports, the billionaire allegedly bestowed the moniker X as a nickname on the young toddler, who is merely three years old, as a casual means of address.
Shortly after his birth, the parents of X Æ A-12 decided to alter his name to X Æ A-Xii due to California's regulations on the usage of alphanumeric symbols.
The couple decided to alter their second child's name, switching it from Exa Dark Sideræl Musk to 'Y' at a later time.
Musk's romantic endeavors have been a topic of fascination for quite some time, as the founder of Space X has experienced a string of divorces and noteworthy partnerships in the past few years.
Elon Musk carries his son, X, inside the Red Bull team's garage while they prepare for the Miami Grand Prix in May.
The CEO hinted at some significant alterations to Twitter, a social media platform that has been struggling with declining user engagement and intensified rivalry in recent times. This revelation took place on Sunday morning when the CEO disclosed that the iconic bird logo would soon be substituted with a simple 'X'.
He suggested that the symbol was a component of a broader transformation of the whole platform as he looks for the perfect visual concept.
Regarding the recently announced logo, which is currently uncertain, he stated: 'The temporary X logo will become active later today.'
According to NPR, Musk has expressed a long-standing desire to create an all-encompassing application, comparable to the widely used WeChat. Although WeChat boasts significant popularity in China, there is currently no American counterpart.
According to Vance, his goal is to develop an application that mirrors the influence of WeChat in China, seamlessly integrating into people's everyday routines. This app would serve as a means of communication, a platform for staying informed, a tool for purchasing goods, a method of settling rental payments, an avenue for scheduling appointments with medical professionals, and even a channel for handling fines.
Currently, it seems that the social platform Musk acquired for a hefty $44 billion is experiencing the transformations he initially committed to back in October.
"When we purchased Twitter, Musk highlighted that it would expedite the development of X, the all-inclusive application," he mentioned during the acquisition.
Musk has recently declared that he will be rebranding Twitter without any delay - modifying the website's name to 'X' and also replacing the platform's renowned blue bird symbol with the letter 'X'.
Numerous users chimed in on Musk's X hint, offering design recommendations for the fresh emblem, along with inquiries regarding his rationale for the recent appellation.
A number of individuals humorously poked fun at the possible fate of the term 'tweeting' once the revamp had taken place and gained broad acceptance.
"I'm not certain what it will be called anymore! Article? Cross-post? X-post?" someone penned.
Another question was put forth in a similar vein: In the event that Twitter undergoes a rebranding to X, what term would we use for future 'tweets'?’
Another individual interjected: 'So it's no longer referred to as a tweet, but rather as what exactly?'
Some people appeared to mock the well-known nonchalant executive following his statement, with a few mentioning the growing stress he is encountering due to the recent emergence of Threads, owned by Meta, and the decreasing market value of his new company.
'You're really bothering me. Honestly, what's the purpose,' complained an individual shortly after the revelation - closing a continuous series of tweets by Musk hinting at a major rebranding.
'Join the discussions now,' another person contributed.
In his typical style, Musk wanted to join in with the flood of sarcastic posts. He quickly asked his nearly 149 million followers: 'What should we name the act of posting on Twitter?'
Many individuals subsequently shared their own created verbs to depict the action of sharing on the presently evolving social networking platform.
'Tweeting,' stated one; 'Expressing,' stated another.
A few hours before, Musk hinted at a few minor yet significant modifications to the platform through several pictures featuring a stylized version of the letter x. Among these photos was one where he was seen crossing his arms.
Numerous users enthusiastically expressed their opinions in the replies of Musk, offering various design recommendations for the fresh logo. They also posed inquiries about the rationale behind the new name.
A short while before, Musk hinted at a few significant yet not major adjustments to the platform, showcasing a range of pictures featuring a stylishly modified rendition of the letter x.
'And before long, we will say farewell to the Twitter logo and, over time, all of the feathered creatures,' stated a morning message shared by Musk.
Another broadcasted shortly after stated: 'In the event that an X logo of satisfactory quality is shared this evening, we will proceed to launch it globally starting tomorrow.'
He continued his statement by providing some innovative advice for aspiring designers: 'If the X has a similar style to anything, it should definitely be Art Deco.'
Afterwards, he shared a modified version of the existing Twitter logo with a darker hue and added the caption, 'Similar to this, but with X.'
In the end, Musk uploaded a flickering video of an X surpassing the bird and attached it at the top of his profile.
The picture was proposed by Sawyer Merritt, one of the founders of an eco-friendly apparel company, and created by Alex Tourville, a scientific engineer.
There is uncertainty regarding whether the fixed X will be employed as the company's future logo by Musk.
In his typical style, Musk embraced the flood of witty posts and quickly reached out to his massive following of around 149 million users, posing the question: 'How should we name the act of tweeting?'
Twitter has been using its logo, also known as Larry the Bird, since it was established in 2006. The current design has been in place since 2012.
Based on the information provided on the official Twitter website, Larry is described as 'our most identifiable value' and is the reason why we hold it so dearly.
During the month of April, the website's emblem was momentarily substituted with an image showcasing a Shibu Inu canine. This substitution had a favorable impact on the value of Dogecoin, a well-liked virtual currency associated with memes, causing it to increase by a staggering $4 billion in market worth.
In the very same month, a message was dispatched to Twitter's associates in the business field, notifying them that the company had undergone a merger and consequently rebranded itself as X Corp. However, it was emphasized that the abbreviated social media platform would retain its initial name, at least for the time being.
X Corp has the potential to become the ultimate guiding force for Musk's various enterprises in the future, such as Neuralink, SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company.
Once the publicly available corporate documents were released in April, Musk sent out a brief message consisting of a single 'X' on his Twitter account, reaching out to his numerous followers. It remains uncertain whether Musk intends to alter the name of the social media platform, and if so, when such a change might occur.
Musk seemed to reference the legal documents in a tweet with a short message stating: 'X'
As per the information provided on Twitter's official website, Larry the bird is described as 'our most easily identifiable resource' and is the reason for the high level of protection it receives.
Musk provided his users with a demonstration of the visual style he envisions for the upcoming logo.
The unveiling of the logo comes roughly fourteen days later than the introduction of Musk's latest venture in the field of artificial intelligence, xAI. Currently, xAI is the only information mentioned in Musk's Twitter biography.
Musk will take charge of the upcoming startup that aims to offer a distinct option to ChatGPT.
As per Musk, who has continuously expressed concern about the unchecked progress of AI, the company intends to manufacture an AI system that exhibits utmost curiosity.
"He mentioned that attempting to grasp the genuine essence of the cosmos is the most optimal perspective from an AI safety standpoint. In his opinion, the AI is likely to prioritize humanity because humanity is considerably more captivating than anything non-human."
The alteration in logo would be the most recent among a series of modifications that have completely transformed the organization since Musk's acquisition.
He has faced previous backlash for significantly reducing the company's workforce and also profiting from the "verified" blue check status in April.
In the beginning of this month, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, introduced its very own app for sharing brief content known as Threads.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, over 30 million individuals created accounts for the competitor's platform within the initial day.
Twitter has issued a warning to take legal action against the company for purportedly pilfered proprietary information.
