Musk’s X Factor: How it became his favorite letter and could be a new name for Twitter
Musk’s X Factor: Twitter could soon be renamed Elon’s favorite letter, which is also his nickname for his son, the name of a Tesla model and his rocket to go to Mars – as well as a mysterious website domain he owns
- Elon Musk has confirmed his plans to transform Twitter into ‘X, the everything app’, continuing his love affair with the letter
- His self-proclaimed “love of the letter X” extends beyond his businesses and is even the nickname for his son with Grimes.
- Musk is the CEO of SpaceX and also head of Tesla, which produces the Model X
Elon Musk has confirmed his plans to transform Twitter into “X, the everything app,” continuing his love affair with the letter.
He made the announcement when he appointed former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino as Twitter CEO — saying she would help “turn this platform into X, the everything app.”
The billionaire has previously spoken of his “love of the letter X” – and his use of the letter ranges from the Tesla Model X to the nickname he gave his first child with Grimes.
Musk hopes the X app will become a “platform so useful you’ll find it essential to live your life.” He also founded the company X Corp in March 2023, now the parent company of Twitter.
This is the history of his relationship with X.
Elon Musk has confirmed his plans to transform Twitter into “X, the everything app,” continuing his love affair with the letter. He made the announcement when he appointed former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino as CEO of Twitter
X.com – the online bank founded in 1999
Musk launched X.com, an online bank, in California in 1999. It was one of the first platforms of its kind.
The company later became Paypal.
In 2017, Musk bought back the X.com domain from Paypal and tweeted, “Thanks PayPal for letting me buy back X.com!” No plans at the moment, but it has great sentimental value to me.”
When visiting the site, it simply displays an “x” in the top left corner of the screen. But Musk’s big plans for Twitter suggest he could use the domain for his app of the future.
SpaceX
Musk is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX, which is formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation.
He founded the company in 2002, and it recently launched his $3 billion — a test flight that was deemed a huge success even after it erupted in a spectacular fireball.
SpaceX and even NASA all hailed the first flight of the giant new rocket as “exciting” and a success. Musk was particularly gleeful in the aftermath, promising to relaunch “in a few months.”
His son’s nickname is… X
Musk and his former partner, the musician Grimes, raised eyebrows in May 2020 when they revealed the name of their newborn son: X Æ A-12.
Musk is said to have nicknamed the little boy, three, X for short.
Shortly after being named, X Æ A-12’s name was changed to X Æ A-Xii following a violation of California’s naming laws that allow alphanumeric characters to be used.
Elon Musk held his son X in the Red Bull team’s garage during practice for the Miami Grand Prix in May
Will Twitter be renamed X?
In 2023, Musk founded X Corp as successor to Twitter Inc.
The company, which is owned by Musk, also owns Twitter. Meanwhile, X Corp is in turn owned by X Holdings Corp.
The group of companies will play a key role in its vision for the X platform.
He said in April that “Twitter is basically an accelerator of an idea I’ve had for a long time…X, the everything app,” he said. He described it as a “platform so convenient you’ll find it essential to live your life.”
The app is said to offer tools to enable payments, private and public communications, and be “incredibly useful.”
Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022 and has said the purchase has accelerated his plans for ‘X, the everything app’
Tesla Model X
Tesla, where Musk is CEO, sells the Model X, which went on commercial sale in 2016.
The car, a mid-sized luxury crossover SUV, is recognizable by its falcon doors.
Tesla, where Musk is CEO, sells the Model X, which went on commercial sale in 2016