I was reading an interesting article about a child who got beaten up by his father because his father thought the X replacing the Twitter logo stood for an X video app of a very different kind. One hopes the child does not try to return the favour to Elon Musk. He is not the only one frustrated by the turn of events. Many famous Twitterati (yes, I know) have written emotional messages of how they are parting ways with the platform that no longer represents their ideals…or whatever copy their sponsors PR agency asked them to tweet (YES I KNOW. CHANGE IS HARD!!)
Now, for many of us the change to an X is, of course, a traumatising reminder of the X we once had in our lives and who we post about copiously on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and the Taylor Swift fans support group bulletin board. Solace usually lies in the fact that your X is probably going through the same shameful exercise.
For those terrified of Mathematics, there is the missing X in Algebraic equations which you lost yourself trying to find. A fie on thee, Elon, for retriggering that childhood trauma. Where is that X now when I find I have lost 30% in my Futures & Options (F&O) portfolio? Don’t even get me started on those graph papers with the X-axis and the Y-axis which made you question WHY in hell’s name am I doing this… to myself?
Then there is the much-abused term “X-factor” thrown about by MBA brand managers and management consultants who are probably workaholics in order to forget about their X. Unfortunately, they wrap their trauma around the heads of unsuspecting clients by pasting it on every new client pitch. In most cases, you can plot the interest level of the clients on the X-axis of their careers.
The X logo atop Twitter’s San Francisco office, which has now been removed X/Elon Musk
Now, those too old enough to remember board games (or dial-up internet) would know there was a game called Scotland Yard. In this game you had to catch the mysterious Mr X who would only appear 5 times before you lost him completely. A lot like the startup founder who sold you on the idea of buying juice but seems to be overdosing on his own Kool-Aid. HR, of course, does a better job of disappearing than Mr X with a “We’ll get back to you”. Which is the same threat given by the San Francisco administration to the Twitter headquarter’s logo change.
Now some may argue “but the new logo looks so chic, like a brand new Tesla”. To which I would argue there is a huge difference between a Full Self-driving Car and a Full Self-driving Twitter CEO. (YES I KNOW!). There has been a significant plunge in Twitter’s brand value after the name change. Of course, in India political coalitions seem to think the change in their name will have the opposite effect but then it happens only in I.N.D.I.A.
Some may argue, ‘but the new logo looks so chic, like a brand new Tesla’. To which I would argue there is a huge difference between a self-driving car and a self-driving Twitter CEO Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
As I write this, the Indian government first announced an immediate ban on laptop imports and then chose to roll back the decision to a later date when the electorate is more distracted. I have no such hopes from Elon Musk. Because like Salman Khan in Wanted (the movie), he is the kind of guy you’d expect to tweet “Ek baar logo change kar diya, phir toh main shareholders ki bhi nahin sunta”.
Note: If you are an X, you can find the author on Twitter @boredroomcomedy
The author is a Marwari investment banker turned corporate comedian. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website.