Twitter is back? New ‘Twitter.now’ platform challenges Elon Musk’s X amid legal battle
New Twitter platform: The name Twitter has returned to the social media scene, but this time it is being used by a completely new platform.
A Virginia-based company called Operation Bluebird has launched Twitter.now, a social network that aims to bring back the familiar idea of Twitter as a real-time public forum. The company says it is independent and has no connection with Elon Musk’s X.
The launch comes amid an ongoing legal dispute between Operation Bluebird and X over the rights to the Twitter name and other parts of the old brand.
Twitter.now is being developed by Operation Bluebird, a startup whose team includes Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark lawyer.
The company says its goal is not simply to copy the old Twitter. Instead, it wants to build a social network centred on trust, transparency and greater control for users.
The new platform has a familiar social-media format, including posts, replies and retweets, making it likely to feel recognisable to people who used Twitter before the rebranding to X.
Elon Musk completed his purchase of Twitter in 2022. The following year, the company changed the platform's name to X and removed the famous blue-bird branding.
Operation Bluebird argues that the change left the old Twitter identity open for others to reclaim. The company says X abandoned rights connected with the Twitter name, the word “tweet” and the bird logo.
However, X disputes that claim and has taken legal action against Operation Bluebird. The trademark dispute remains unresolved, meaning the new platform's long-term right to use the Twitter name is still being contested.
One of Twitter.now's main differences is its approach to content verification. The platform is testing an AI-based system called VERA, which analyses posts and provides information about the reliability and context of claims. Users are also expected to have greater control over the type of content they see in their feeds.
The company says it wants to protect freedom of expression while giving users more control over what reaches their feeds.
Yes, but the platform is currently in its early-access phase rather than being a fully open social network.
Twitter.now's official website says early access is available through its website. It currently offers a paid Founder option for $20, while higher-level early access options are also available. The company says broader access will come later.
The platform is therefore still in its early stages and has only a relatively small number of users so far.
That remains the biggest question.
Twitter.now is clearly trying to attract people who miss the old Twitter experience, while offering a different approach to moderation and content discovery.
But competing with X will not be easy. Twitter.now still has to build a large user base, establish its identity and, perhaps most importantly, resolve the legal fight over the Twitter brand.
For now, the return of the familiar Twitter name has certainly created a new twist in the social media battle surrounding Elon Musk's X.
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- With inputs from agencies
