Flashback Friday: Looking at the evolution of Twitter – From Larry the bird to X  

As the infamous blue bird – Larry is freed and replaced by a cold white “X”; Twitter’s identity without its iconic bird is no longer the same. On October 28 last year, Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion, which according to media reports is a part of his mission to build an “everything app.” 

Twitter has now been rebranded to X, with its logo changed and its colour scheme replaced from blue to black. Reports said that the move could potentially change Twitter’s user base and maybe even alienate them from the platform that they knew so well, a couple of months ago. 

But what was Twitter like, when it was founded initially? 

In this story, we map out the journey of Twitter, from when it was founded in 2006 to how it transformed into “X” today.

Odeo, a podcasting company started in 2004 by Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass, gave rise to Twitter. 

The leadership of Odeo believed that the company could not compete with Apple and that a fresh strategy was required when Apple announced in 2005 that it would include podcasts to its digital media application iTunes. When asked about any intriguing side projects they were working on, Jack Dorsey, an engineer at Odeo, suggested a short message service (SMS) where users could post brief blog-like updates with friends. Glass suggested Twttr as a name. 

On March 21, 2006, Dorsey posted the first tweet “just setting up my twttr”, and in July of that same year, Twitter officially launched. Williams, Stone, and Dorsey founded Obvious Corp. in October 2006 after purchasing Odeo. 

After the platform was introduced during the South by Southwest music and technology convention in Austin, Texas in March 2007, interest in it significantly surged. Due to an inflow of venture cash, Twitter, Inc. was established as a corporate entity the following month, and Dorsey was appointed as the company’s first chief executive officer (CEO). 

From its inception in 2006 to its peak in 2021, Twitter underwent a remarkable evolution.

In 2007, Twitter secured its initial funding and gained prominence during the South by Southwest conference. 2008 saw the departure of co-founder Jack Dorsey as CEO, followed by the appointment of Evan Williams. Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement in 2009 catapulted Twitter into the mainstream. By 2010, NASA had astronauts tweeting from space, but management turmoil continued as Dick Costolo replaced Williams as CEO. In 2011, Twitter became a vital tool during the Arab Spring and broke news worldwide.

In 2012, Twitter reached 200 million active users, and even President Barack Obama employed the platform for major announcements. The company went public in 2013, with its key figures amassing substantial wealth. However, slowing user growth and stock fluctuations marked 2014. Twitter struggled against tech giants like Google and Facebook, prompting Jack Dorsey’s return as CEO in 2015.

Rumours of acquisition swirled in 2016, while Twitter faced criticism for enabling the spread of misleading information, exemplified by Donald Trump’s use of the platform. In 2017, Twitter’s stock rebounded, with Trump leading the platform’s conversations. The following year, Dorsey and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg testified about election interference, and concerns of political bias emerged.

In 2019, Twitter’s influence on markets and its role in public discourse were evident as Trump’s tweets correlated with market fluctuations. The year also saw a meeting between Trump and Dorsey. In 2020, Twitter grappled with the COVID-19 infodemic and a security breach involving high-profile accounts. Finally, in 2021, Twitter took a dramatic turn by permanently banning Trump due to his involvement in the Capitol riots. Shortly thereafter, Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO, succeeded by Parag Agrawal, marking a pivotal moment in the platform’s history. Twitter had evolved from a fledgling social media startup to a global force, shaping discourse, politics, and news dissemination.

On October 28, 2022, Elon Musk completed a $44 billion transaction to take Twitter Inc. private. He then assumed control of the significant social media site by promptly sacking its senior executives.

He tweeted, “The bird is freed,” in a reference to his wish to see the corporation loosen its restrictions on what can be posted.

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter ushered in a wave of substantial policy changes on the platform. 

These changes ranged from the imposition of daily tweet limits, varying from 10,000 posts for verified users to 500 posts for new unverified users, to the requirement for users to log in or create an account to access user profiles and tweets, aimed at safeguarding user data.

The platform also allowed publishers to charge users on a per-article basis, and content subscriptions became part of its revenue strategy, with X taking a 10 percent cut after the first year.

Emphasising transparency, Musk open-sourced “literally everything”. But he also banned accounts linked to rival social media platforms. 

A significant restructuring of staff occurred, resulting in mass layoffs and leadership changes, including Linda Yaccarino becoming the CEO.  X was merged with Musk’s firm, X Corp, and a move towards AI to combat manipulation of public opinion was initiated.

Twitter also underwent a significant rebranding, emerging as X. This rebranding was accompanied by the unveiling of a new logo, replacing the iconic Twitter bird. The transition aimed to align the platform with Musk’s vision of creating a multifunctional “everything app” akin to WeChat. 

However, this transformation prompted mixed reactions and a flurry of memes from users, questioning the decision to replace the well-known bird logo.

Navigating the future of Twitter (X) 

Musk’s future plans include transforming X into an “ultra-app” with video and voice calls, introducing a payments feature, and charging for two-factor authentication to enhance security. 

As Musk makes the push for Twitter/X to transform into an “everything app”, recent events suggest that the platform will soon assist companies with employment, emerging as a potential competitor to LinkedIn. 

This comes after Musk wrote on X, “People send me LinkedIn links sometimes, but the cringe level is so high that I just can’t bring myself to use it, so I ask for the resume or bio to be emailed. We will make sure that the X competitor to LinkedIn is cool.”