Jack Dorsey's experiment, Elon Musk's empire: 20 years of twttr, now X, and how it changed the world

An SMS experiment became the world's newswire, then a billionaire's obsession. On its 20th birthday, Twitter's legacy is complicated.

From an SMS-inspired platform to the world's real-time information infrastructure, Twitter – now X – evolved from a microblogging experiment into a digital town square over two decades.

Twitter, now X, began as an SMS-inspired platform. (Featured image: HT)

A star is born

Twitter, originally called twttr, launched on July 15, 2006. Months earlier, co-founder Jack Dorsey posted the first tweet: “just setting up my twttr.” It took off at the 2007 SXSW conference, when real-time updates made it an instant hit.

Changing the online lexicon

Twitter soared after user Chris Messina proposed using the "hashtag" (#) in 2007 to group posts. The retweet soon followed, reshaping how information spread online.

The world's newswire

It became a real-time news platform in 2009 when a passenger posted a photo of US Airways Flight 1549 after its Hudson River landing. During the Arab Spring in 2011, protesters used it to organise demonstrations and bypass state media.

Change in structure

Evan Williams replaced Dorsey as CEO in 2008; Dick Costolo took over in 2010; Dorsey returned in 2015. Twitter also introduced an algorithmic timeline and expanded posts from 140 to 280 characters in 2017.

Vine and brain rot

Twitter bought Vine in 2012. Though it shut down in 2017, the six-second video app helped shape today's short-form video culture.

HT Graphic

The Musk era

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022. Verification became paid, moderation changed, and Twitter became X in 2023. In 2025, xAI acquired X in a deal valuing it at $33 billion.