In a surprising move, Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, replaced the platform’s iconic blue bird logo with the “Doge” meme on April 3, 2023. The Shiba Inu dog meme is the same one that represents Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that was created as a joke in 2013 to mock other digital currencies such as Bitcoin. The change, which was only visible on the web version of Twitter and not on the app, caused quite a stir among users.
According to Bloomberg, the value of Dogecoin increased by almost 30% after the new logo was implemented. Musk confirmed the switch from the Blue Bird to Doge via his Twitter account, posting a meme of a police officer checking a document while Doge claims it’s an old photo. In addition, he shared a screenshot of a conversation he had with a Twitter user before he acquired the company, saying “as promised.” In that conversation, Musk asked if there was a need for a new platform, and the user suggested that Musk should buy Twitter and change the logo to a Doge.
Musk’s takeover of Twitter in a $44 billion deal last year has resulted in several changes to the social media platform. Recently, Twitter announced that it would end its old verified program, which means users must pay $8 per month for the coveted blue checkmarks, starting on April 1. Following this announcement, Twitter removed the verified checkmark from the New York Times’ Twitter page after the company confirmed that it would not pay for a verified check. Commenting on this issue, Musk said, “They voluntarily did exactly what I wanted them to do,” in response to a user’s comment that random users were verified on Twitter, but the New York Times was not.
Musk is known to be a big fan of the Doge meme and has promoted Dogecoin both on Twitter and during his appearance on “Saturday Night Live” last year. After the change to Twitter’s web logo on April 3, 2023, the value of Dogecoin rose by more than 20%. Musk had tweeted in March 2022, prior to his successful bid to buy Twitter, “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” He also posted another photo stating, “Seize the Memes of Production.”
On February 15, 2023, Musk’s love for “Doge” was apparent when he posted a photograph of the Dogecoin blockchain and cryptocurrency logo, posing as the CEO, on his account with the caption, “The new CEO of Twitter is amazing.”
The change to the Twitter logo has caused some confusion among users, with some praising the new look, while others criticized it for being unprofessional. Nevertheless, Musk has made it clear that he wants Twitter to be a place where people can express themselves freely, which aligns with the principles of Dogecoin. Although some users are disappointed that the new logo only appears on the web version of Twitter, it remains to be seen whether Musk will extend the change to the app or introduce other modifications to the platform in the future. For now, Twitter’s new Doge logo is the talk of the town and has certainly generated plenty of attention.
