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☆ Elon Musk celebrates a year of owning X by adding a new feature absolutely no one wants
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

X just rolled out its audio and video call service. This is the latest in a series of new features introduced since Elon Musk took over the company. AdvertisementAdvertisementElon Musk just launched X's latest feature: the ability to make audio and video calls on the platform. AdvertisementAdvertisementEarly version of video & audio calling on 𝕏 https://t.co/aFI3VujLMh — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 25, 2023The new features have failed to impress some X users, however. For all its new features, X has still struggled to reverse a drop in users following months of chaos on the social media platform.

Persons: It's, Elon Musk, —, lon, ost., witter –, ince Organizations: Elon, Service Locations: lon, usk, ideos

☆ Australia unveils draft law to regulate digital payment providers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A smartphone with Apple Pay and Google Pay logos is placed on a laptop in this illustration taken on July 14, 2021. Apple Pay, Google Pay and China's WeChat Pay, which have grown rapidly in recent years, are not currently designated as payment systems, putting them outside Australia's financial regulatory system. The proposed rules would enable the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to monitor digital wallet payments in the same way as credit card networks and other transactions. The draft law would expand the definitions of "payment system" and "participant" in Australia's existing laws, treasury documents showed. Payments infrastructure and the regulatory framework have not kept pace with transitions in finance, particularly in Australia's digital economy and payments.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jim Chalmers, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Rights, Google, Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian Banking Association, Thomson Locations: Sydney

☆ If Elon Musk understood anything about China, he'd know his attempt to make X a super app like WeChat is doomed to fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Elon Musk thinks turning X into an everything app like WeChat could make the company profitable. Elon Musk may be going all in with his plan to turn X into an everything app in the vein of China's WeChat. In fact, Musk gave us all some insight into what X might one day look like when he expressed his admiration for China's everything app, WeChat, last summer. We don't have anything like that outside of China," Musk continued. Even foreigners would be hard pressed to make their way around China without using the WeChat app to make simple purchases.

Persons: Elon, Musk, WeChat, HECTOR RETAMAL, he's, —, Feng Kaihua, Tencent, China's Didi Chuxing, doesn't Organizations: Morning, PayPal, Twitter, Getty Images, Facebook, Getty, Netflix, YouTube Locations: China, AFP, Xinhua

☆ Elon Musk's X rebrand reignites his goal to turn Twitter into an app like China's WeChat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In October, the billionaire said buying Twitter was an "accelerant to creating X, the everything app," without providing further details. Musk called WeChat 'great'Super apps refer to a type of app that allow users to carry out multiple functions without having to leave the app. The biggest super app in the world is called WeChat which is run by Chinese technology giant Tencent and has over 1.3 billion users. While China pioneered the super app, the idea has taken off in other parts of Asia. Musk has likely taken inspiration from WeChat, an app he called "great" last year.

Persons: Elon, Harun Ozalp, Elon Musk, China's WeChat, Musk, Linda Yaccarino, WeChat Organizations: HK, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Twitter, Google Locations: China, Asia, Singapore

☆ Marketing expert slams Elon Musk's chaotic Twitter rebrand as 'completely irrational'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter to X.Branding experts have been calling out the decision, warning the company risks losing value. Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter to X and some people are confused by the move. The loss of the Twitter brand is projected to knock off anywhere between $4 billion and $20 billion in company value, Bloomberg reported, citing analysts and brand agencies. Allen Adamson, cofounder of marketing and brand consulting group Metaforce, told Fortune the move was "completely irrational from a business and brand point of view." Musk has long discussed his plans to create an app called X.

Persons: Elon, Fortune, Allen Adamson, He's, China's WeChat, Musk Organizations: Marketing, Bloomberg, Twitter

☆ People are comparing Elon Musk's rebranding of Twitter to X with a cringe pitch from Kendall Roy in 'Succession'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk announced Saturday that Twitter would be rebranding to X, replacing its bird logo and doing away with identifiable phrases like "tweet." Many Twitter users aren't totally on board with the move, resulting in CEO Linda Yaccarino's verbose statement being compared with a cringeworthy business pitch featured in "Succession." Kendall Roy, played by Jeremy Strong, describes it as "Substack meets Masterclass meets The Economist meets The New Yorker." Noah Shachtman, the editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone, quipped: "[Kendall Roy voice] It's, y'know, Venmo meets Clubhouse meets Ebay meets ChatGPT." "Enjoyable to imagine Kendall Roy saying this to investors," said another tweet, which has been seen 2 million times.

Persons: Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Linda Yaccarino's, China's WeChat, It's, Roy, Kendall Roy, Jeremy Strong, Substack, Masterclass, Noah Shachtman, Rolling Stone, Bailey Carlin, Kendall, didn't Organizations: Rolling, Ebay, Twitter Locations: we're

☆ Musk risks even more damage to Twitter's business as the messaging app changes name to X
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk announced that there will be a rebranding of Twitter soon, and speculation points to the implementation of X.Elon Musk has long been enamored with the letter X. Musk had already converted Twitter's corporate name to X Corp, which itself is a subsidiary of X Holding Corp, as revealed in an April court filing. Musk's desire to turn X into a super app requires "time, money and people," which Twitter "no longer has," said Proulx. "Twitter's rebrand is a reminder that Elon Musk, not Threads or any other app, is and has always been the most likely 'Twitter killer,'" Enberg wrote. WATCH: Elon Musk wouldn't be who he is without 'demon mode' and his drive.

Persons: Elon Musk, that's, China's, Mike Proulx, Musk, " Proulx, didn't, It's, X.com, adieu, Linda Yaccarino, Proulx, Ralph Schackart, William Blair, Jasmine Enberg, Enberg, Elon, wouldn't Organizations: Twitter, Forrester, X Corp, X Holding, SpaceX, PayPal, Facebook, Google, CNBC, Insider Intelligence

And Twitter's cash flow has been negative as a result of that and its heavy debt load. Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester, said on Sunday that the move would further alienate Twitter's original, and once fiercely loyal, user base. The billionaire Musk said in a Sunday post he wanted to change Twitter's logo and polled his millions of followers whether they would favor changing the site's color scheme from blue to black. Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration taken October 27, 2022. In April, Twitter's legacy blue bird logo was temporarily replaced by Dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog, helping drive a surge in the cryptocurrency's market value.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mike Proulx, Forrester, Musk, Dado Ruvic, adieu, Linda Yaccarino, Twitter, Dogecoin's Shiba, Mrinmay Dey, Rishabh, William Mallard, Jan Harvey, Cynthia Osterman, Diane Craft Organizations: Twitter Inc, REUTERS, Twitter, X Corp, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

"Interim X logo goes live later today," Musk said on Twitter adding that "X.com" would now redirect to Twitter's website. Musk's X Corp owns Twitter. The billionaire said in a Sunday post he wanted to change Twitter's logo and polled his millions of followers whether they would favor changing the site's color scheme from blue to black. Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration taken October 27, 2022. In April, Twitter's legacy blue bird logo was temporarily replaced by Dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog, helping drive a surge in the cryptocurrency's market value.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Dado Ruvic, adieu, Musk's, Dogecoin's Shiba, Mrinmay Dey, Rishabh, William Mallard, Jan Harvey, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Twitter Inc, Twitter, X Corp, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter to change logo, adieu to 'all the birds'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 23 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Sunday he was looking to change Twitter's logo, tweeting: "And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds". ET (0406 GMT), the social media platform's billionaire owner added: "If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we'll make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow." loadingMusk posted an image of a flickering "X", and later in a Twitter Spaces audio chat replied "Yes" when asked if the Twitter logo will change, adding that "it should have been done a long time ago". Twitter's website says its logo, depicting a blue bird, is "our most recognizable asset". Since Musk acquired it, the company has laid off more than half its workforce to cut costs.

Persons: Elon Musk, adieu, Dogecoin's Shiba, Musk, Rishabh, William Mallard, Jan Harvey Organizations: Twitter, X Corp, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Adieu to ‘all the birds,’ Elon Musk says as he announces Twitter logo change
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk said Sunday he was looking to change Twitter's logo, tweeting: "And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds." In a post on the site at 12:06 a.m., the social media platform's billionaire owner added: "If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we'll make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow." Musk posted an image of a flickering "X", and later in a Twitter Spaces audio chat replied "Yes" when asked if the Twitter logo will change, adding that "it should have been done a long time ago." Twitter's website says its logo, depicting a blue bird, is "our most recognizable asset." Since Musk acquired it, the company has laid off more than half its workforce to cut costs.

Persons: Elon Musk, adieu, Musk, Dogecoin's Shiba Organizations: Twitter, X Corp

☆ Apple opens store on China's WeChat platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A man holds an iPhone 14 as Apple Inc's new models go on sale at an Apple store in Beijing, China, September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File PhotoBEIJING, July 11 (Reuters) - Tencent's (0700.HK) WeChat said on Tuesday that iPhone maker Apple (AAPL.O) had opened a store on its social media platform, marking an expansion of the U.S. firm's retail channels in the world's second largest economy. The announcement by WeChat, China's dominant messaging app which also provides e-commerce, livestreaming and payment services, said users would be able to buy Apple products including iPhones, iPads and Macs from the store. The move by Apple comes as Chinese consumers increasingly turn to social media platforms such as WeChat and ByteDance's Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to shop. China's smartphone sales in the first quarter fell 5% year on year, marking the lowest first-quarter sales figure for the country since 2014, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

Persons: Thomas Peter, WeChat, Tencent, ByteDance's Douyin, Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, Jacqueline Wong, Jamie Freed Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, HK, Counterpoint Research, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

☆ An ex-Instagram employee says Meta's 'impatience' has hurt its shopping efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But as Instagram axes shopping products, ex-staffer Meghana Dhar points to Meta's "impatience." The moves have left many asking: What's going on with Instagram shopping? While at Instagram, Dhar worked on Instagram's early shopping features, from onboarding brands to getting John Mayer to host a live shopping event with laundry company The Laundress. But it's also had a tendency to launch and then axe shopping products, like Instagram (and Facebook) live shopping and affiliate marketing. Scaling back on shopping, for now, could also be a blessing in disguise for Meta, Dhar added.

☆ Analysis: Tencent bets big on WeChat Channels in push to build its own TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"Tencent hopes it can turn Channels into the next WeChat Pay. Two sources familiar with Tencent said the importance of Channels has been repeatedly communicated within the company. In November, Tencent President Martin Lau said Channels' advertising revenue was on track to reach 1 billion yuan in the fourth quarter of 2022. "For example, in Douyin or Kuaishou, you won't be able to ask your viewers to add you on WeChat. But on Channels, you can quickly add somebody on WeChat," Yang said.

☆ Even Elon and Zuck don't have the juice to make an all-in-one 'super app' happen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Spiegel harbor super app ambitions; Microsoft reportedly wants to build its take on a super app that would rival Google. At Facebook's parent company Meta, "super app" is a taboo word precisely because it's too abstract, Insider's Kali Hays reported last month. A newcomer super app has a tougher sell accessing this sophisticated, less trusting type of user. Silicon Valley's gatekeepers stand in the way of the super app dreamUS tech firms harboring super app ambitions will need to fend off their own regulators, overseas regulators, and Apple's App Store. As the CPP Investments white paper notes, super apps "can be thought of as operating platforms for mobile devices."

Later on, they shouted, “lift lockdown for Urumqi, lift lockdown for Xinjiang, lift lockdown for all of China!”, according to a video circulated on social media. [1/3] Workers in protective suits keep watch behind a barrier at a sealed restaurant area, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 26, 2022. Some posted screenshots of street signs for Wulumuqi Road, both to evade censors and show support for protesters in Shanghai. Shanghai's 25 million people were put under lockdown for two months earlier this year, an ordeal that provoked anger and protest. A video shared with Reuters showed Beijing residents in an unidentifiable part of the capital marching around an open-air carpark on Saturday, shouting "End the lockdown!"

☆ Elon Musk says he wants 'Twitter 2.0' to have video chat, voice calls, and encrypted DMs — and has enlisted the help of Signal's founder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk said in the meeting he wants to encrypt DMs for security and add voice and video chat functions. The creator of messaging app Signal, a former Twitter employee, could help with the plans, Musk said. Under the plans, DMs would be encrypted, meaning the text could only be read by participants, as is the case on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal. Musk added that he had spoken with the creator of Signal, Moxie Marlinspike, an ex-Twitter employee, who is "potentially willing to help out" with encrypting Twitter DMs. In August, an ex-employee was found guilty of spying after passing Twitter users' information to Saudi Arabia, having been paid over $300,000 to do so.

☆ Look past the Musk mayhem, and you'll see the beginnings of his master plan for Twitter taking shape
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's plans to turn Twitter into a super-app appear to be taking shape. The billionaire discussed plans for longer videos and a payment system on Wednesday. One expert said Musk is likely operating off a "master plan" and his chaotic tweets are a distraction. On Wednesday, the billionaire appeared to take his first step toward turning Twitter into a super-app — an idea Musk has continually promoted in public and private discussions. On Wednesday, Musk said Twitter would start hosting longer videos and provide a space for creators to monetize content.

☆ Elon Musk took over a struggling business with Twitter and has quickly made it worse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

In this article TWTR Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThe Twitter profile page belonging to Elon Musk is seen on an Apple iPhone mobile phone. watch nowCompared to larger rivals Facebook and Google , Twitter never managed to develop an online ad business that matched the scale of its influence in popular culture and society at large. Twitter's revenue in the second quarter declined from a year earlier. Other opportunities are emerging, such as connected TVs and streaming services as well as Amazon's growing online ad business for retail-oriented companies, Tipograph said. González said she was willing to give Musk "the benefit of the doubt" when he told the group that Twitter was aligned with them.

☆ Op-ed: What Elon Musk really gets out of owning Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Matt Rosoff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As the owner of Twitter, Musk now controls a platform that has mounds of data about the connections among its users, their interactions, their interests and so on. Most important, by owning Twitter, Musk expands his reach far beyond his own fanbase. Musk has hinted at this in his statements about Twitter as a bastion of free speech. But so far, Musk seems to equate "free speech" on Twitter with "looser moderation." During his first weekend owning the service, Musk responded to Hillary Clinton by tweeting an unfounded, anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband.

☆ Elon Musk's plan to turn Twitter into a super app is a step closer now that he owns the platform
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

According to Musk, the Twitter acquisition will play a part in the creation of a super app called X. If Musk plans to turn Twitter into X, it will likely mean bringing in many new features. Although reports vary about Musk's full intentions, the billionaire has made repeated claims that the acquisition would play a part in the creation of a super app, or what he has also referred to as an "everything app." If Musk plans to create his everything app with Twitter it will mean bringing in many new features. 'Grand vision'Musk has stated that the Twitter acquisition may speed up the creation of his super app by three to five years.

☆ Inside Facebook, WhatsApp is now an 'urgent' growth valve with 'superapp' ambitions taking shape
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

This has become something "we have to do," said Matt Idema, vice president of business messaging. Messaging throughout Facebook, led by WhatsApp, generated a relatively paltry $218 million in the most recent quarter. "It's a really big challenge," Matt Idema, promoted last year to vice president of business messaging for Meta, told Insider. Now it's time to bring together WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram Messaging and "treat it like one messaging strategy," Idema said. It held in May its first-ever conference dedicated to its messaging business.

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