Twitter Changes its Official Handle to @X – As part of the ongoing rebranding process, Twitter has updated its official handle to @X. Consequently, the original @Twitter handle is now inactive, and its bio states, “This account is no longer active. Follow @x for updates.” The social media company’s other official handles have either let go of the “Twitter” moniker or substituted it with the letter X.
It was reported that Twitter hadn’t reached out to the original owner of the @X handle — Gene X Hwang of corporate photography and videography studio Orange Photography. However, earlier today, Hwang tweeted “Alls well that ends well” from his new handle @x1234567998765. It’s so far not clear if he sold the handle to Twitter.
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Twitter has undergone a rebranding, changing its own handles like @TwitterSupport, @TwitterDev (which is now inactive), and @TwitterAPI to @Support, @Xdevelopers, and @API respectively, all featuring the new X logo as their profile pictures. However, some regional handles like Twitter Japan and Twitter India are still awaiting renaming.
The company’s subscription service, Twitter Blue, has been rebranded as @XBlue on the site. Despite this change, the About page of the paid plan still retains the Twitter Blue branding. As reported by The Verge from an update on the Twitter Video page, verified users now have the option to permit other Blue subscribers to download the videos they share on the platform for offline viewing.
On Tuesday, the company briefly updated the new “X” logo with bolder lines. But later, Elon Musk said that he is reverting the change as he didn’t “like the thicker bars” and the logo will “evolve over time.” Twitter’s rebranding process has encountered some hurdles, as certain parts of the site, including the mobile apps, still display the original Twitter branding and name.
In recent days, multiple reports have highlighted that Microsoft has held a trademark for “X” related to Xbox since 2003, while Meta possesses a federal trademark since 2019 for a blue-and-white letter “X.” According to trademark attorney Josh Gerben, there is a definite likelihood that Elon Musk’s social network, which is now under the “X” rebranding, will face legal challenges from someone over the use of the “X” trademark.
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Additionally, the company had begun removing the Twitter logo from its San Francisco headquarters. However, the process was only partially completed, as the crane responsible for the work was forced to stop due to it being considered “unauthorized work” by the police, resulting in a temporary disruption. According to a report from The New York Times on Monday, employees within the office have begun taking down bird-related decorations.
And renaming conference rooms as “eXposure,” “eXult,” and “s3Xy.” On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal revealed that X is introducing fresh incentives to advertisers in both the U.S. and the U.K. The company is now offering discounted pricing for video ads featured under the “Explore” tab.