If you have visited Twitter's web version recently, you might have noticed something different about the logo. Instead of the familiar blue bird, you now see a cute Shiba Inu dog with a mischievous grin. This is the "doge" meme, which is also the symbol of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency. But why did Twitter change its logo to a doge? The answer lies with its new CEO, Elon Musk.
Image: thedailyguardian
Elon Musk is a billionaire entrepreneur who is known for his ventures in space exploration, electric vehicles, neural implants, and more. He is also an avid fan of memes and cryptocurrencies, especially Dogecoin. He has often tweeted about Dogecoin and its potential to become the future of money. He has also joked about becoming the CEO of Dogecoin and even hosted Saturday Night Live, where he called Dogecoin a "hustle".
Musk's love for Dogecoin and memes led him to buy Twitter in a $44 billion deal last fall. He said he wanted to make Twitter a platform that supports free speech and democracy. He also hinted at changing the Twitter logo to a doge in a tweet conversation with another user in March 2022. The user suggested that Musk should buy Twitter and change the bird logo to a doge, to which Musk replied, "Haha that would sickkk".
Image: Elon Musk Twitter
On April 3, 2023, Musk fulfilled his promise and changed the Twitter logo to a doge on the web version. He tweeted, "As promised" and shared a screenshot of his previous tweet conversation. He also posted another tweet saying, "Seize the Memes of Production". The logo change sparked a lot of reactions from Twitter users, some of whom praised Musk for his sense of humor and innovation, while others criticized him for being irresponsible and immature.
The logo change also had an impact on the value of Dogecoin, which rose more than 20% after Musk's tweet. Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that was created as a joke in 2013 to mock other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It features the doge meme as its logo and has a loyal fan base that calls itself the "Doge Army". Dogecoin has no intrinsic value or practical use, but it has gained popularity due to its viral nature and celebrity endorsements.
However, not everyone is happy with Musk's promotion of Dogecoin. In June 2022, Musk was sued by a group of investors who accused him of engaging in racketeering by manipulating the price of Dogecoin through his tweets and media appearances. They claimed that Musk's statements were false and misleading and caused them to lose millions of dollars. They sought $258 billion in damages from Musk. Musk's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on March 31, 2023, arguing that there was nothing unlawful about tweeting words of support for or funny pictures about a legitimate cryptocurrency.
The lawsuit is still pending in court, but it seems that Musk is not deterred by it. He continues to express his admiration for Dogecoin and its mascot, the doge meme. By changing the Twitter logo to a doge, he has shown that he is not afraid to take risks and challenge conventions. He has also shown that he is willing to use his power and influence to shape the future of social media and cryptocurrency. Whether this will be beneficial or harmful for Twitter and its users remains to be seen.
Best-selling Books about Elon Musk Recommended:
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. A biography that explores the life and vision of one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time.
- The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos by Christian Davenport. A narrative that chronicles the rise and rivalry of the new generation of space entrepreneurs.
- Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX by Eric Berger. A behind-the-scenes account of how SpaceX overcame multiple challenges and failures to achieve its first successful launch in 2008.