#trending: Netizens slam Twitter's X rebrand as 'sinister', 'unwelcoming' after Elon Musk replaces iconic bird logo
SAN FRANCISCO — Is this finally the end of an era for Twitter? Twitter owner Elon Musk officially replaced the company’s iconic bird logo with an “X” on Monday (July 24) as part of rebranding efforts, but the reaction it has received from netizens has been far from approving.

Twitter owner Elon Musk officially replaced the company’s iconic bird logo with an “X” on Monday (July 24).
- Twitter owner Elon Musk officially replaced the company’s iconic bird logo with an “X” on Monday (July 24)
- Many netizens criticised the new logo, describing it as “sinister” and “not welcoming”
- Others prefer the previous Twitter logo as it is more aligned with the platform’s use
SAN FRANCISCO — Is this finally the end of an era for Twitter?
Twitter owner Elon Musk officially replaced the company’s iconic bird logo with an “X” on Monday (July 24) as part of rebranding efforts, but the reaction it has received from netizens has been far from approving.
The executive chairman of the company, who bought Twitter for US$44 billion (S$58.4 billion) late last year, wrote in a post on Sunday that the company would soon “bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds”.
The domain X.com now leads users to Twitter’s homepage, though branding on the app version of the platform has not changed and Twitter.com remains live as of Tuesday.
The transition from Twitter to X is part of Musk’s vision to turn the platform into what he has described as an “everything app”.
“X is the future state of unlimited interactivity — centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking — creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine,” Twitter chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino said in a tweet on Monday.
“There’s absolutely no limit to this transformation. X will be the platform that can deliver, well….everything. @elonmusk and I are looking forward to working with our teams and every single one of our partners to bring X to the world.”
Mr Musk, who has long been interested in the name X, repurchased the X.com domain from PayPal, according to the New York Times.
"Not sure what subtle clues gave it away, but I like the letter X," he tweeted on Sunday.
The billionaire also shared a photo of the X logo projected onto the company’s headquarters on Monday.
Since Mr Musk’s takeover, Twitter has seen significant changes which first began when he changed the name of the company from Twitter Inc to X Corp in April, according to CNBC News.
The Space X boss had also announced early this month that Twitter users will only be able to read a certain number of posts per day, which received widespread criticism from users and marketing professionals.
NEW X LOGO LOOKS 'SINISTER'
The new X logo has garnered mainly negative reactions from netizens, many of whom criticised it for looking “sinister” and “not welcoming”.
“It’s not welcoming! It makes me feel sad,” one Twitter user said.
Another user wrote: “It’s not very welcoming either. In fact, it looks like something sinister and shady!”
Several voiced that the new logo did not make sense and that the Twitter bird was more aligned with the platform’s use.
“The Twitter bird was a decent brand. It is friendly and conveys what Twitter is about (which is) social messaging (and) calling out to other people. The new Twitter X is what? It says nothing. In fact, it looks like the logo of a company that makes men's shaving products,” one user said.
“The new Twitter X is what? It says nothing, in fact, it looks like the logo of a company that makes men's shaving products.Twitter user @LouisHenwood”
Another user said: “It makes no sense at all. We used to #tweet like birds and lots of us #Twitter on about stuff. The bird and the name made so much sense. What do we do now?”
Others felt that the new X logo signified the end of Twitter.
“You can tell right away that this ‘X’ rebranding is done by a man. It conveys greed, looks corporate and loses all the warm community feel of Twitter. I see the end of Twitter,” one user remarked.
Another wrote: “I think it represents the death of Twitter. It's almost like it's been crossed out.”
Many have also poked fun at the change of the logo through memes while mourning the loss of the iconic Twitter bird.
“Has everybody seen the (eXecrable) new logo?” American actor Mark Hamill tweeted on Monday, along with the hashtag #ByeByeBirdie.
“The letter X will be holding a press conference later today. #TwitterX,” said Sesame Street, whose tweet has garnered at least 8.1 million views and 25,900 retweets as of Tuesday.
Organisations have been quick to ride on the hype of the new Twitter logo.
“Twitter's iconic bird isn't the only one disappearing,” non-governmental organisation World Wildlife Fund said in a tweet on Monday
“Today, one in eight bird species are at risk of extinction. But we can save them and their habitats — benefiting people and nature across the globe. Retweet to spread the word! #TwitterX#TwitterLogo.”
“In case you're missing that little bird logo, here is a photo of a bird #TwitterX,” governmental organisation Colorado Parks and Wildlife tweeted with a photo of a lark bunting on Tuesday.
'TWITTER IS THE BIRD, THE BIRD IS TWITTER'
Designed by the company’s former creative director Doug Bowman, the famous Twitter logo resembles a mountain bluebird with a dash of hummingbird thrown in.
“Twitter is the bird, the bird is Twitter,” Mr Bowman said in an announcement regarding the latest redesign of the Twitter logo in 2012.
Known simply as the Twitter Bird, Mr Bowman told the New York Times that it has a beak and body that point toward the sky which has "the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility".