Twitter — now called X — has become one of the most talked-about social media platforms in the world. But ever since Elon Musk bought it in October 2022, a lot has changed.
When Musk made the huge $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, it caused a lot of noise. Soon after the purchase, Twitter’s ad revenue dropped by around 65% by January 2023. Website traffic also fell by 7.7% in March 2023 compared to the year before.
It wasn’t an easy takeover. Musk often clashed with Twitter’s old management team — even taking the issue to court. After many ups and downs, the deal was finally completed.
Inside the company, things shifted quickly. Thousands of employees were laid off, rules changed silently, and in April 2023, Musk merged Twitter Inc. with his new company, X Corp. This meant Twitter as a company no longer existed under its old name.
Later, Musk announced another major change — Twitter.com became X.com. That’s when the world realized Twitter had entered a new era — the X-Corp era.
The History of Who Owns Twitter
Twitter’s Beginning
Twitter started in 2006, created by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. They were working at a company called Odeo when Jack came up with the idea for short, text-based updates — what we now call tweets.
Growing on Its Own
After a while, the team behind Twitter bought Odeo’s assets and made Twitter an independent company. The platform grew fast, attracting celebrities, politicians, and millions of everyday users. Jack Dorsey became the first CEO.
Going Public
In 2013, Twitter sold its first public shares at $26 each. That meant ownership moved from just the founders to thousands of investors. Evan Williams was the biggest shareholder for a while, but later sold part of his stake.
Rumors of a Buyout
In 2016, big tech companies like Microsoft and Google were rumored to be interested in buying Twitter. Those talks never worked out, but they increased Twitter’s value by 20% at the time.
How Elon Musk Ended Up Owning Twitter
In 2022, Elon Musk — the billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX — decided to buy Twitter. He believed the platform could be more open, free, and innovative.
Buying the Shares
Musk started buying Twitter shares in January 2022. By April, he owned around 9% of the company — making him the largest individual shareholder.
The Legal Battle
Soon, the deal hit trouble. Musk said Twitter had too many fake and spam accounts and demanded proof. When Twitter refused, he tried to back out of the agreement. Twitter then sued Musk to force the sale to go through.
A court in Delaware gave Musk until October 28, 2022, to complete the purchase — and he did. That’s how Elon Musk officially became the owner of Twitter.
How Musk Paid for Twitter
To buy Twitter for $44 billion, Musk used a mix of his own money and loans.
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Banks like Bank of America loaned him about $13 billion.
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He sold part of his Tesla shares.
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He also used his 9.6% Twitter stake (worth about $4 billion).
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Friends and investors like Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, chipped in around $7 billion.
What Is X Corp?
After the purchase, Twitter was merged with a new company called X Corp, based in San Francisco. Court papers confirmed that “Twitter Inc. no longer exists as a separate company — it now operates under X Corp.”
Musk’s vision for X Corp is to create an “everything app” — a single platform for chatting, payments, shopping, and more. He also started an AI company called X.AI, which now works under the X Corp brand.
In June 2023, Linda Yaccarino (former NBCUniversal executive) became the new CEO of X Corp.
Why Elon Musk Changed Twitter to “X”
Musk has always loved the letter “X.” From SpaceX to X.com (which became PayPal), it’s part of his brand identity. So in July 2023, he replaced Twitter’s blue bird with a bold X logo.
Now, typing X.com takes you to what used to be Twitter.com. Musk’s plan? To make X a one-stop platform for everything — social media, shopping, video, and even banking.
Not everyone loved the change. Some longtime users said they’d still call it Twitter. But Musk hinted that soon, the “Twitter” name will disappear completely.
Major Twitter Changes Under Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s ownership brought some of the biggest changes in Twitter’s history:
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Mass layoffs: About 80% of Twitter’s staff were let go.
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Tweet limits: Verified users can read up to 10,000 tweets per day; unverified users only 1,000.
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Login required: You now need an account to view profiles.
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Voice & video calls: Musk is adding these features to compete with WhatsApp and Telegram.
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Paid blue check: The blue badge now requires a subscription and includes premium features.
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Security changes: SMS two-factor authentication became a paid option.
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Content monetization: Writers and publishers can charge users per article.
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Open-source code: Twitter’s code is now partly open for public viewing.
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New CEO: Linda Yaccarino replaced Musk as CEO in June 2023.
So, Who Owns Twitter Now?
In short, Elon Musk owns Twitter, which now operates under X Corp. He turned it from a public company into a private one — meaning no more public shareholders.
Even though Twitter has changed a lot, it’s still one of the world’s biggest and most influential platforms. From its early days under Jack Dorsey to the bold new X era under Elon Musk, one thing remains true — Twitter (or X) continues to shape how people connect and share ideas online.
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