The social network formerly known as Twitter has fully migrated to X.com, as announced by its owner, Elon Musk, on Friday. Musk, the billionaire head of Tesla, SpaceX, and several other companies, acquired Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022 and announced the rebrand to X last July.
Elon Musk Transitions Twitter to X.com: A Vision for a Super-App
As of Friday morning, queries to Twitter.com redirected users to X.com, although the original domain name still appeared on some browsers. Musk has a long history of using the letter “X” in his branding, starting in 1999 with his attempt to create an online financial superstore called X.com. When he purchased Twitter, he established a company called X Corp to finalize the deal.
Musk envisions “X” becoming a super-app similar to China’s WeChat, which integrates messaging, voice and video calling, social media, mobile payments, games, news, online booking, and other services. Recently, Musk also introduced an AI chatbot named “Grok” on X, which launched in Europe this week.
Controversies Surrounding Elon Musk’s Leadership of X and Its Future Plans
Musk’s leadership of X has been controversial. He has fired thousands of employees, overseen significant technical issues, and reinstated the accounts of right-wing conspiracy theorists, including former US President Donald Trump. European regulators have also begun investigations into X and other social media platforms over concerns about misinformation. Earlier this month, the EU demanded that X explain its decision to cut content moderation staff, giving the company a deadline of Friday to respond.
