When Was Twitter Invented? Looking Back at X’s Rich Past

If someone were to show you Twitter when it first launched, you may not be able to recognize the platform. This network has come a long way in terms of design, user experience, and features since its inception. Speaking of inception, when was Twitter invented? Facts about Twitter reveal interesting insights into its user base and features, helping users navigate the platform more effectively.

Moreover, what changes did the platform undergo after its launch? Twitter to X marks the transition from the familiar bird logo to a new, more streamlined design. The recent Twitter rebrand emphasizes a fresh look and new features to enhance user experience and engagement. Let’s go back to when X was Twitter, and the bluebird was its iconic logo.

When Was the Twitter Launch Date?

The Twitter launch date was on March 21, 2006. Originally, this network wasn’t a social media platform. It started as a side project for Odeo, a podcasting company. In June 2005, Apple began supporting podcasts in iTunes 4.9. What is happening to Twitter reflects its ongoing transformation since its launch.

Odeo decided to pivot after realizing how challenging it would be to compete with the Cupertino giant. Jack Dorsey, an engineer at Odeo, shared his idea with the company’s founders. His proposal was that people use short messaging services (SMS) to share updates with their friends.

After getting the green signal, he worked on developing Twitter, which at the time was “twttr.” By February 2006, Odeo’s team was already working to launch Twitter.

On March 21, 2006, Jack Dorsey published the first tweet, letting the world know he was setting up his account. Twitter Favorites let you bookmark tweets you enjoy, making it easy to revisit them later.

How Old Is Twitter?

Are you wondering, “How old is Twitter?” Twitter is over 18 years old as of June 2024. The platform now goes by X after Elon Musk bought it for $44 billion. It no longer has the bluebird as its official logo. In its place, there’s an X to indicate the significant changes in this platform since the buyout.

It also evolved into more than a micro-blogging social media channel. This was due to the new Twitter leadership’s plans to offer more features to users.

The name Twitter makes sense when you look at what the platform once was. During the early years, there was a 140-character limit on your tweets. In other words, the posts are short, similar to how birds tweet.

However, under the new owners, this is no longer the case. The character limit is 25,000 characters, and people can post up to three hours of video content per post. The owners also want to provide additional communication and finance-related features. In this context, the name X makes sense.

Twitter Development History: A Time Capsule Since Its Inception

The sections below go through Twitter development history to give you an idea of the platform’s evolution.

2007 – 2010: Twitter’s Rise To Become a Mainstream Social Media Platform

The section below covers Twitter’s first moments till the time it goes mainstream:

• Twitter’s first moment of popularity was during the South by Southwest Interactive conference in 2007. Everyone who attended the festival used this service. It was similar to instant messaging and blogging, giving a glimpse of its true potential.
• In July 2007, the platform received $100,000 in venture capital, with Union Square Ventures as the lead investor. The same year, Chris Messina, a Twitter user, was the first to suggest using hashtags to group tweets.
• The network’s board fired Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive officer (CEO), in 2008. Even Williams, one of the co-founders, took over his position. 
• In 2009, the platform’s co-founder and CEO, Evan Williams, appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show. This marked the platform’s entry into mainstream media.
• In 2009, people started using this platform to spread the news. For instance, when an airplane landed on New York City’s Hudson River, the initial source was a Twitter user’s tweet. Similarly, Iranians used the platform to organize protests and give people live updates about these events. 
• 2009 was the year of the iconic blue tick, indicating that a Twitter user has a verified profile. The platform gave this label to celebrities, public figures, and government agencies. Also, this was the year the platform launched mentions, i.e., the ability to tag Twitter users in your posts.
• In 2010, Twitter launched promoted tweets, the platform’s first advertising service. Also, in the same year, Dick Costolo, the chief operating officer (COO), replaced Evan Williams as the CEO.

2011 – 2020: Twitter Goes Public and Undergoes Significant Changes

Here’s what happened during 2011 – 2020 on Twitter:

• The platform revamped the home page and replaced the old design in 2011. It was the center of the Arab Spring, as people used it in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt for protests. Also, the platform acquired TweetDeck.
• By 2012, X processed 340 million tweets daily and had 140 million users. In the same year, it made changes to its logo. Twitter also bought Vine, an extremely popular platform for its short-form video content. By the end of the year, there were over 200 million active users on this social media network.
• Twitter became a public company in 2013 and asked for $26 per share. By the end of the trading day, the share value increased to $44.90. As a result, Twitter hit a $31 billion evaluation.
• The social media giant revamped the web version of its platform in 2014. It introduced features like tagging other users in images and uploading up to four pictures in every post. 
• In 2015, people could finally use the Twitter app to record and share video content. You can quote tweets, making it easier to add your opinions while sharing posts. Also, the new search results page made its debut. This new interface gives users filters to sort out the search results quickly.
• The social media giant launched its algorithmic feed in 2016, replacing the old chronological timeline. This uses X’s algorithm to recommend posts based on various user signals.
• The Twitter character limit increased from 140 to 280 characters in 2017. Also, the platform launched the threads feature, which lets you publish a series of tweets. 
• 2020 was an infamous year for Twitter due to a prominent cyberattack. This affected the profiles of Barack Obama, Bill Gates, MrBeast, Michael Bloomberg, and Joe Biden.

2021 Onwards: Twitter Enters the New Era

Here’s a list of various changes in Twitter since 2021:

• The social media network launched Twitter Blue, its first subscription service, in 2021. This gives subscribers features like a bookmark folder, undo tweets within 30 seconds, and a reader mode. It introduced Super Follows, where you can charge your followers a monthly fee for exclusive content. The network also launched Birdwatch, a tool to tackle fake news on the platform.
• In 2022, Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion. He changed his mind and tried to back out of the deal. However, he followed through with his offer on October 28, 2022, and made the company private. Musk eventually fired 80% of Twitter’s workforce to keep it lean and reduce costs. 
• Under the new leadership, Twitter introduces Twitter Blue once more. The difference is that the new subscription gives users the blue checkmark if they meet the platform’s requirements. You get features like higher video-quality content, the ability to edit tweets, and the blue checkmark. Twitter also makes view counts, aka impressions, public on every tweet.
• In 2023, the platform rebranded itself to X, changed tweets to posts, retweets to reposts, and Birdwatch to Community Notes. It replaced the blue bird logo with an X. It also launched the Creator Revenue Sharing Program to enable users to earn from the platform.
• The platform finally uses x.com as its primary domain. If you enter twitter.com, the browser redirects you to x.com.

Common Questions on When Was Twitter Invented

Here are three questions people usually have regarding when Twitter was invented:

TweetDelete Can Help You Find and Delete Tweets Since You Joined Twitter

Given Twitter’s transition over a decade, its history is interesting. Now that it is under new ownership, only time will tell how different it will be in a few years.

In 2014, Twitter launched a service to find your first tweet. However, this service no longer works. Also, finding older posts is difficult unless you use Twitter’s advanced search tool. Once you come across these tweets, you may find inappropriate, insensitive, and out-of-touch content. You need to delete them quickly before they affect your reputation.

With TweetDelete, deleting multiple posts becomes straightforward. The mass-delete tweets feature is what you need, as it lets you remove as many tweets as necessary.

If you don’t want to spend time manually deleting posts, you should try the auto-delete tweets task. These features can find anything quickly and accurately because of our custom filter.

Save this article on when was Twitter invented by bookmarking it. This way, you can always revisit this article if you have any questions.

Use TweetDelete today to locate and delete tweets from the day you became a Twitter user!