Elon Musk’s rebranding effort ignites renewed ambition to transform Twitter into China’s WeChat

Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter, particularly the idea of transforming it into an “everything app,” have generated much discussion. Last October, Musk referred to buying Twitter as a means to create X, a comprehensive platform, but provided little detail. This move sparked comparisons to China’s WeChat, a messaging service offered by Tencent, a Chinese tech giant. Musk has now officially changed Twitter’s iconic bird logo to an “X,” solidifying his vision of evolving the platform beyond a simple social media service. Musk emphasized that the acquisition was intended to expedite the transition toward the “everything app,” stating on Twitter, “In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world.”

Linda Yaccarino, the newly-appointed CEO of Twitter, reinforced the idea of the “everything app,” describing it as the future state of unlimited interactivity, enabling global connectivity in audio, video, messaging, payments, banking, and fostering a marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.

Musk and Yaccarino’s objectives align closely with the concept of a “super app,” pioneered in China and adopted in other parts of Asia. Super apps allow users to perform multiple functions within a single app, eliminating the need to switch between different applications. These functions often include social media, payments, hotel and flight bookings, and ride-hailing services.

The most prominent example of a super app is WeChat, operated by Tencent, with over 1.3 billion users. WeChat originated as an instant messaging app like WhatsApp but expanded to include payment services and integrate various e-commerce and banking apps. While the super app concept started in China, it has gained traction across Asian countries, with companies like Grab and Kakao following suit.

Musk acknowledged WeChat’s success and expressed interest in creating a similar platform outside of China. He praised WeChat as a highly useful and indispensable tool in Chinese daily life, envisioning Twitter achieving a comparable status as a comprehensive communication app.

WeChat’s triumph in China stems from unique circumstances such as the blocking of popular American online services like Twitter and Google. This allowed domestic tech companies, including Tencent, to thrive and establish dominance. Tencent’s extensive investments in e-commerce and other major companies facilitated seamless integration with WeChat, making it the go-to platform for various services. However, replicating this success in the U.S. and Europe poses challenges. Fragmented online payment systems, intense competition in ride-hailing and food delivery, and complex advertising dynamics are among the hurdles Musk’s “everything app,” labeled as X, would face. Despite these obstacles, Musk aims to position Twitter as a versatile communication tool and gradually introduce additional features such as payments.