Elon Musk’s vision for a transformed social media platform took a major step forward today with the official switch of Twitter to X.com. This marks the culmination of a rebranding effort initiated in July 2023, following Musk’s acquisition of the platform.
Twitter as we know it is officially gone. Elon Musk has announced that the platform’s URL has shifted from twitter.com to x.com. This change marks the final step in the transformation of the social media giant into what Musk has rebranded as “X”.
After acquiring Twitter in 2022, Musk made several sweeping changes. It includes renaming tweets to “posts” and changing the logo to an “X”. Now, visiting twitter.com redirects users to x.com, confirming the platform’s new identity.
In July 2023, Musk had renamed the social media platform as X, a letter closely associated with the tech billionaire since 1999. Musk acquired Twitter in a $44-billion deal in October 2022. “We are letting you know that we are changing our URL, but your privacy and data protection settings remain the same.
Major Changes Under Musk
Since taking over, Musk has implemented significant changes:
- Rebranding: Tweets are now called posts, and the company is now X.
- New Features: X will start charging users a small annual fee, around $1 (approximately ₹100 in India), for basic functionalities like posting and liking. This feature is being tested in New Zealand and the Philippines and will soon roll out globally.
- Premium Access: Accounts with over 2,500 verified followers will get Premium features for free, while those with over 5,000 will get Premium+ features.
Additionally, premium subscribers will soon have access to xAI’s chatbot, Grok.
Earlier this year, Musk stated that the Indian government had asked X to take action on specific accounts and posts. While X initially disagreed, citing freedom of expression, it ultimately complied with the government’s order.
Conclusion
Elon Musk continues to revolutionize the platform, keeping users on their toes with constant updates and new features. As X moves forward, it remains to be seen how these changes will impact the social media landscape.
Stay tuned for more updates on X and its evolving journey.