The recent rebranding of Twitter to X came with an unfortunate incident involving the handling of a Twitter handle. Gene X. Hwang, the co-founder of photo firm Orange Photography, had owned the handle for 16 years. However, Twitter, now operating as X, took the handle without informing or compensating him for the change.
Hwang revealed that neither Elon Musk nor X had reached out to him before the account was transferred to the tech billionaire’s company. The situation sparked some controversy, as it raised concerns about the treatment of long-time users and the communication between the platform and its users during the rebranding process.
In response to the situation, Twitter offered Hwang some merchandise and the opportunity to meet with management, but it did not address the initial issue of taking the handle without consent or compensation.
As a resolution, the handle now goes by @x12345678998765, signifying the end of Hwang’s long ownership of the original handle. While the matter has been resolved to some extent, it still highlights the importance of transparency and communication between platforms and their users, particularly during significant changes like a rebranding.
