‘Blue bird has been fired’: Twitter reacts as iconic logo replaced with ‘X’

Elon Musk owned Twitter launched its new logo ‘X’ on Monday, in a major rebrand initiative, which replaced the iconic blue bird symbol. The logo – a white ‘X’ seen on a black background was seen on the network’s site and accounts, evoking mixed reactions and an ocean of memes from the netizens.

Several accounts shared a viral graphic designed to represent an animated version of the blue bird who seemed upset after being ‘fired’. “I was fired,” the image containing the bird read. Sharing the viral image, the users bid their final goodbyes to the bird.

“The bird is freed,” another user echoed their sentiments.

Some users also disapproved of the new logo and suggested that they liked the bird symbol better. Some people also said that along the rebrand, the platform should also focus on other areas that need improvement, including enhancing the user experience for its non-verified audience.

Twitter had announced a $8 monthly fee for accounts in November to keep their verified status intact on the micro-blogging site. Subsequently, other changes were introduced on the platform, including a temporary cap on number of tweets the users can see in a day, and restricting the ‘direct message’ daily limit on the site for its non-verified accounts.

Idea behind new logo ‘X’

Amid the changes introduced to Twitter since Musk took over it last year, he changed its business name to X Corp. In October last year, Musk had shared his vision about turning Twitter into “the everything app”. “…buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” he had said.

The new logo ‘X’ has been described by Musk as a “minimalist art deco,” CEO Linda Yaccarino confirmed.

Hashtags such as ‘RIP (Rest in peace) Twitter’ and ‘X’ trended on the platform Monday as the users also flooded the site with memes to depict how they felt about the new logo.

Meanwhile, elaborating on the rebrand, CEO Yaccarino stated that ‘X’ is the future of “unlimited interactivity centred in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking”.

Powered by AI, X will create a global marketplace for ideas, goods and services, and opportunities, connecting people “in ways we’re just beginning to imagine,” her tweet read.