The fact that people still refer to Elon Musk's social media platform as 'X, formerly known as Twitter' over two years later perhaps isn't a sign of a brilliantly successful rebrand. Back in 2023, we called Twitter's X-orcism a "masterclass in how to destroy a brand overnight".
But perhaps one of the main reasons for the bird name sticking around is that the URL, twitter.com never went away. Until now. X has finally announced that is doing away with the original domain – and right now it's redirecting to X.com. But like every aspect of this cursed rebrand, it hasn't gone smoothly.
The changing of the URL has proven messy for those using a security key for two-factor authentication, with many finding themselves locked out of their account. In a statement, X asked users to re-enrol their devices – but the tweet (yes, I'm still calling it a tweet) has received hundreds of comments from users complaining that they can no longer access their accounts.
It seems X's commitment to remaining the decade's messiest (and slowest) rebrand is unwavering. From constant logo tweaks to algorithm problems, plus the ongoing debacle of giving Verified badges to anyone willing to pay for the privilege, the whole enterprise has given rise to a catalogue of errors.
So while the death of the Twitter URL might seem like the final nail in the coffin for one of the 2010s' most iconic online brands, knowing the way this rebrand has been playing out, it'll probably be back tomorrow.
