Twitter rebranded as X, evolving into a major platform

Twitter, now called X, has changed a lot since it started 19 years ago. It began as a small messaging service and grew into a major global communication tool. The platform is known for its role in social movements and its unique features, like trending topics and ads. Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and aims to transform it into an "everything app." The story of X began in March 2006 when co-founder Jack Dorsey sent the first tweet. The platform was officially launched in July. By March 2007, Twitter gained popularity at the South by Southwest conference. The company, Twitter Inc., was founded that same year, with Dorsey as CEO. In 2008, the platform attracted many new users, handling over 100 million tweets each quarter. A major event in Twitter's history happened in June 2009 during the Iranian protests. People used the platform to share real-time information when traditional media faced restrictions. In 2010, Twitter added features like trending topics, retweets, and hashtags. It also began monetizing with Promoted Tweets. By 2012, the platform had over 500 million users. Twitter went public in 2013, valued at $31 billion. In November 2016, Twitter was crucial in the U.S. presidential election, which brought Donald Trump to power. Concerns about misinformation grew during this time. In December 2017, Twitter doubled its character limit to 280. The platform worked to remove fake accounts in 2018. The biggest change came in October 2022 when Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion. He quickly made changes, cutting many jobs and launching a paid verification service by December. In April 2023, Linda Yaccarino became the new CEO. By July 2023, the platform was rebranded as X. Musk's vision includes making X a multi-purpose app for social media, news, finance, and payments. As of 2024-2025, X is exploring new ways to make money and has become more polarized. Musk promotes it as a key news source while dealing with issues like misinformation and hate speech differently than before.