@Twitter handle finally becomes @X, Influenced by Elon Musk’s “X” Obsession

Twitter has officially changed its handle to @X from the old “@Twitter”. The change came as part of CEO Elon Musk’s ongoing efforts to implement his fixation with the letter “X” across his ventures. While the transition has been swift, it has not been without controversies and speculations.

The @X handle, however, posed an initial challenge as it was already owned by Gene X Hwang, co-founder of the corporate photography and videography studio Orange Photography. Hwang had been actively using the handle since registering it in March 2007. Twitter did not reach out to Hwang before the change, but he has since tweeted from a new handle, @x1234567998765, stating, “All’s well that ends well.” It remains unclear if he sold the handle to Twitter, and whether he was compensated for relinquishing it.

“I haven’t been contacted by Twitter / Elon,” said Gene X. Hwang, co-founder of event photo company Orange Photography and owner of the @x handle on the platform formerly known as Twitter, in an email when Mashable reached out to him.

Elon Musk, who now owns Twitter, has had a longstanding fixation on the letter X. His first startup was named X.com, which later became PayPal after a merger. Musk reportedly wanted the name X to be retained for the app, showcasing his affinity for the letter even then. This obsession with the letter X continues throughout his ventures, including his space-exploration company SpaceX, the artificial intelligence venture, xAI, and Tesla’s early electric car model, the Model X.

Musk’s fascination with the letter X extends even to his personal life, as he named his son after singer Grimes, X Æ A-XII, or simply X. He explained a few years ago on the Joe Rogan Experience that the name is pronounced as “X, the letter X.”

The connection between Musk’s interest in the letter X and his decision to rebrand Twitter as X Corp is evident. It appears Musk sees the letter as a symbol of innovation and progress, embracing it as he aims to transform Twitter into something even more remarkable.

The rebranding also extends to Twitter’s subscription service, previously known as Twitter Blue, which is now called @XBlue (Blue subscription). This move aligns with the larger rebranding strategy to replace “Twitter” with “X” across various official handles, such as @Support, @Xdevelopers, and @API.

However, the journey towards X Corp hasn’t been entirely smooth. Twitter briefly unveiled a new X logo with bolder lines, only for Musk to reverse the change due to his dislike for the design. He expressed that the logo would continue to evolve over time.

The change in Twitter’s legal name to X Corp has been in the works for some time. Musk regained ownership of X.com six years ago, and the recent redirect of X.com to Twitter.com was a significant indicator of the impending rebrand.

While the change to X Corp marks a bold step for Twitter, it remains to be seen how users will respond to the rebranding and whether it will have the desired impact on the platform’s image and growth.