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X (Twitter)X, formerly known as Twitter, is a digital microblogging platform where users can post, read, and exchange short messages. First launched in 2006, it has evolved from a text-based service emphasizing brevity into a full-featured, ad-supported social media platform boasting over 557 million monthly active users, approximately 4 billion monthly visits, and an estimated 500 million tweets sent daily.
From the outset, Twitter's defining feature was its 140-character limit, inspired by the space constraints of text messaging. Twitter's publicly available stream of tweets from millions of users helped shape culture and political discourse through real-time user interactions. In 2010, the platform began to monetize through promoted tweets, accounts, and trends.
SpaceX and Tesla cofounder Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44B. Under Musk, Twitter underwent significant changes, including layoffs of thousands of workers, the introduction of a paid subscription model, and a rebranding as X. Content moderation has become a considerable challenge for the site, and the ease of creating multiple accounts has enabled automated accounts—known as bots—to falsely legitimize specific profiles, perspectives, or ideas.Explore X (Twitter)
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X (Twitter) started as a way to share short updates via textWhat began as a way to share 140-character updates quickly grew into a vital platform for activism, politics, and pop culture. Hashtags, trending topics, and retweets—now common across the internet—originated on the platform. 1440See Don Valentine's original 1977 memo for Sequoia's investment into Apple ComputerIn honor of Apple's 50-year anniversary, Sequoia Capital recently posted a tweet on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) with a photo of the original 1977 memo for Sequoia's investment in Apple. X (formerly Twitter)Private companies are often harder to value than public companiesThat's partly because there isn't readily available stock information, and financial accounting is kept behind closed doors. Typically, determining the value of a private company involves, among other things, closely comparing the private company with its competitors. InvestopediaDonald Trump redefined presidential communication in the social media ageTrump used platforms like Twitter (now X) to bypass traditional media, announce policy, and confront opponents directly. His online presence reshaped political messaging, blurred the line between official and personal communication, and transformed how presidents engage the public. Diggit MagazineRead Jeff Bezos' letter to Amazon shareholders from 2000, when shares were down more than 80%"Ouch. It's been a brutal year for many in the capital markets and certainly for Amazon.com shareholders," the letter begins. Amazon shares were down more than 80% from the prior year at the time. X (formerly Twitter)Sam Altman gave his first-ever startup pitch after dropping out of StanfordHe dropped out of Stanford to start Loopt, which sold in 2012 for $43.4M. You can watch his first-ever startup pitch in a video. X (formerly Twitter)X is a social media platform focused on real-time communication and content sharingUsers post and interact through short messages known as tweets. As of February 2025, X receives over 4.83 billion monthly visits, with users spending an average of 34 minutes daily on the platform. Exploding TopicsX’s brand health has sharply declined since Elon Musk’s takeoverSince Musk acquired the platform, impression, quality, and satisfaction scores have all turned negative—reflecting widespread disapproval among former and current users. As of fall 2024, despite the reputational damage, X remains the sixth-most-visited website globally. YouGovX's quirky culture clashed hard with Elon Musk’s extreme leadership styleInvestigative journalists have written that social platform X's open, sometimes chaotic workplace stopped when control shifted irreversibly from Jack Dorsey to Elon Musk. They claim the stark contrast in personalities left little protection for existing employees, culture, or users. PlatformerElon Musk reshaped Twitter into X with bold moves and polarizing decisionsWhat began in early 2022 as Musk quietly buying Twitter shares soon escalated into a $44 billion hostile bid to take the company private. When Musk officially took over Twitter, he walked into headquarters carrying a literal kitchen sink, captioning the moment, “Let that sink in.” WonderyThreads offers sleek design but fails to deliver X’s unique user experienceDespite its smooth setup, Threads lacks the algorithmic depth and cultural edge that made X (formerly Twitter) feel essential to longtime users. The overlap with Instagram contacts creates a less authentic space, limiting the raw, real-time energy people loved on X. Vogue SingaporeElon Musk claims cutting costs fast was the only way to stop X from dyingLaying off 80% of X's workforce, says Musk, was required to avoid a financial collapse within months of him purchasing the platform. In 2023, he claimed X would be cash-flow positive within the year as advertisers returned to the platform. BBC NewsTreating X like a product instead of a public space obscures deeper issuesPublic outrage over Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition misses the point that the social platform has long failed to address hate speech, not just under Musk’s ownership. Over 150,000 mentions of “leaving Twitter” were recorded over the weekend following Musk’s takeover. The DrumView the list of most followed users on XX, formerly Twitter, may now face more competition from rival social networks than ever, but it also had over 650 million active users as of early 2025. Elon Musk, Barack Obama, and Cristiano Ronaldo led the list of most-followed accounts then. CreatorsJet.comThe evolution of X, from startup to Musk-owned giant, reflects rapid tech shiftsTwitter began in 2006 as a side project and grew into a major global platform, widely used for news, activism, and political discourse. Despite mainstream success, it faced ongoing management turmoil, business struggles, and rising concerns over misinformation and user safety. CNBCThe rebrand to X was to make Twitter an all-in-one social media appElon Musk renamed the platform as part of his plan to create an app that goes beyond posts and tweets. The rebrand included a new name, logo, and vision for a platform that offers messaging, video, banking, shopping, and more. BufferX's bird logo cost just $15 and wasn’t added until four years after launchWhen Twitter launched in 2006, it featured green, slimy lettering and lacked the now-famous bird icon. The bird was adopted in 2010 and eventually became the platform’s official logo—unofficially named Larry after NBA legend Larry Bird. 1440Taylor Swift fans are called 'Swifties'Taylor Swift has a massive worldwide fanbase. Interacting with fellow so-called “Swifties” is part of what keeps her fans engaged. An interview with a 21-year-old fan who runs an influential Taylor fan account on X (formerly Twitter) talks about what it’s like to connect with fellow fans and their experiences. CosmopolitanAn Egyptologist answers questions from the internetProfessor of Egyptology and Archaeology Laurel Bestock answers your questions about ancient Egypt from X. What did ancient Egyptians sound like? Why is King Tut so enduringly popular? What ancient Egyptian medicine and tools do we still use in modern times? WIRED
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