Musk says Twitter to change logo to 'X' from the bird. Changes could come as early as Monday
New York (AP): Elon Musk said Sunday that he plans to change the logo of Twitter to an "X" from the famous blue bird, marking what would be the latest big change since he bought the social media platform for
44 billion last year.
In a series of posts on his Twitter account starting just after 12 a.m. ET, Twitter's owner said that he's looking to make the change worldwide as soon as Monday.
"And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds," Musk wrote on his account.
The change isn't surprising given Musk's long history with the name "X," says Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. The billionaire Tesla CEO tweeted last October that "buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app."
Musk's rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is commonly known as SpaceX. And in 1999, Musk founded a startup called X.com, an online financial services company now known as PayPal.
"Not sure what subtle clues gave it way, but I like the letter X," Musk tweeted Sunday.
Hours later on Sunday, Linda Yaccarino, the longtime NBC Universal executive Musk appointed as Twitter CEO in May, weighed in on the move.
"It's an exceptionally rare thing in life or in business that you get a second chance to make another big impression," she wrote on her Twitter account. "Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square."
Yaccarino wrote on Twitter that X would be "the future state of unlimited interactivity centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities."
But the change on Twitter was met with skepticism on the social media platform.
The change will be very confusing to a huge chunk of the Twitter's audience, which has been already souring on the social platform given a slew of other major changes Musk has made, Adamson said.
"They won't get it," he said. "It's a fitting end to a phenomenal unwinding of an iconic brand and business."
Earlier this month, Musk put new curfews on his digital town square, a move that met with sharp criticism it could drive away more advertisers and undermine its cultural influence as a trendsetter.
The higher tweet-viewing threshold is part of an 8-per-month subscription service that Musk rolled out earlier this year in an attempt to boost Twitter revenue. Revenue has dropped sharply since Musk took over the company and laid off roughly three-fourths of the workforce to slash costs and avoid bankruptcy.
Luring advertisers is essential for Musk and Twitter after many fled in the early months after his takeover of the social media platform, fearing damage to their brands in the enveloping chaos. Advertisers have cut back on spending partly because of changes Musk has made that has allowed for more hateful content to flourish and that has offended a wider part of the platform's audience.
Musk said in late April that advertisers had returned, but provided no specifics.
Musk's move to change Twitter's logo to an "X" also comes as Twitter faces new competition from Meta's new app, Threads, launched earlier this month. It has been seen as an alternative for those who have been upset with Twitter.
Threads is being billed as a text-based version of Meta's photo-sharing app Instagram that the company has said offers "a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations."
In the first five days of its launch, 100 million people had signed up for Threads, according to a post on Threads by Instagram head Adam Mosseri.
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Anyone speaking in favour of Pakistan is wrong, it amounts to treason: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that anyone speaking in favour of Pakistan is wrong and it amounts to treason.
He however said that inquiry is on in connection with alleged "mob lynching" of a man, accused of of shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan, in Mangaluru.
"If the Pakistan Zindabad slogan was shouted, it is wrong, whoever it is. Inquiry is still going on, a case has been registered, let the report come. It will be clear as to what action should be taken against whom," Siddaramaiah said, responding to a question by reporters on killing of a person in Mangaluru allegedly for shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan.
"If anyone speaks in favour of Pakistan, it is wrong, it is treason," he added.
Home Minister G Parameshwara said, a person was "lynched" in Mangaluru, and while interogating those behind the incident, they have claimed that the victim shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan.
"It is being further investigated. Only those arrested said this. Nearly 20 people have been arrested now. Police are also finding out about the person (deceased) and his origins. We have taken the incident seriously. Further investigations are on and there were many people who had gone to play the cricket match. They are all being questioned to gather information. Investigation is very serious," he said.
When asked if the deceased person was from Kerala's Wayanad, Parameshwara said, there is such information and it needs to be verified, by establishing his identity and contacting his parents.
To a question, were there any failure on the part of the police as there are reports that they allegedly tried to project it as suicide initially, he said, "We have no such information. If any such thing is there it will come out from the investigation. If any police failures are identified, appropriate action will be taken,"
The Home Minister assured that the case has been taken seriously and there should be no apprehensions that it is being taken lightly.
However, according to police, the deceased has been identified as Ashraf from Pulpalli village in Sultan Bathery Taluk of Wayanad district in Kerala.
The incident had happened during a local cricket match near the Bhatra Kallurti temple in Kudupu village on the outskirts of Mangaluru, on April 27, police said.
Ashraf was allegedly assaulted with sticks, resulting in multiple injuries that led to internal bleeding and shock, police said adding he was declared dead at the hospital.
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