Twitter is no more. After Elon Musk signaled a name change on Sunday, “X” officially (and hastily) launched overnight — with an “interim” new logo. By changing Twitter’s app name, Elon Musk has singlehandedly wiped out over 15 years of a brand name that secured its place in our cultural lexicon. This is an extremely risky move because, with “X,” Musk is essentially starting over while his competition is afoot. So what happens next?

Prediction: X Will Shutter Or Be Acquired Within The Next 12 Months

When we first covered Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, we noted a growing polarization within its user base and warned that ad dollars could be at risk. Since then, Twitter has devolved from a global and public town square into a pay-for-play conservative-leaning echo chamber. The botched launch of Twitter Blue failed to realize its revenue ambitions — merely prioritizing the voices of Musk’s most ardent followers. Chaos and brand safety concerns continue to give mainstream advertisers pause while initial cautious optimism around “Twitter’s” new CEO Linda Yaccarino has waned.

Nine days ago, Musk “tweeted” (can we still say this?) that the company has a negative cash flow because of a 50% drop in ad revenue plus “heavy debt load.” This is far from a position of strength from which to attempt what is essentially an app relaunch — a move that will only alienate more users and more advertisers. While Musk’s vision is to turn “X” into an “everything app,” this takes time, money, and people — three things that the company no longer has. Disenfranchised Twitter users will increasingly turn to Threads while Musk’s company continues to lose money. Simply put, X’s runway is coming to an end.

What Do Twitter’s Users Think About X?

Forrester conducted an overnight quick “pulse check” poll of Twitter users in its ConsumerVoices Market Research Online Community (MROC) across the US, Canada, and the UK to gauge reactions to Twitter’s name change. Among the 262 respondents who have used Twitter in the past week:

    • 19% are in favor of changing Twitter to “X.”
    • 38% are against changing Twitter to “X.”
    • 8% think that changing the name of Twitter to “X” will have a positive effect.
    • 43% think that it’s a mistake to change Twitter’s name to “X.”
    • 41% think that Twitter (as a name) has a lot of built up brand credibility.
    • 26% believe that changing Twitter to “X” signals a change in direction for the app.

Despite this, just 4% of people who have used Twitter in the past week indicate that they will no longer use “Twitter” (now called “X”) because of this name change. And, unsurprisingly, when we segment responses by political affiliation, liberals over conservatives are far more bothered by the name change: Sixty-four percent of liberals think the name change is a mistake while only 29% of conservatives feel the same. Yet both groups are equally skeptical that the name change will have a positive effect.

Note: This post was updated at 4pm ET on Tuesday, July 25 with the results of Forrester’s overnight poll.