New Twitter Launches as Startup Claims Elon Musk’s X Gave Up the Name

A new social media platform calling itself Twitter.now has launched, reviving the Twitter name nearly three years after Elon Musk rebranded the original platform as X.

The new service was launched by Operation Bluebird, a startup led in part by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark lawyer. The company argues that X Corp abandoned important rights to the Twitter brand when Musk changed the company’s name and identity after acquiring Twitter in 2022.

The launch marks a major escalation in an ongoing legal battle between Operation Bluebird and Musk’s X Corp. While the new platform is now accessible, the dispute over who has the legal right to use the Twitter name and related trademarks has not been resolved.

Why Is There a New Twitter?

Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October 2022. In 2023, the company began replacing the Twitter brand with X, eventually removing the familiar blue bird branding and adopting X as its corporate and platform identity.

Operation Bluebird believes that move created an opportunity to reclaim the Twitter identity.

The startup has argued that X abandoned trademarks associated with Twitter, Tweet and the Twitter bird logo. A federal judge in Delaware gave a tentative indication during an April 2026 hearing that X appeared to have given up certain intellectual-property claims, although the judge has not issued a final written order resolving the issue.

X Corp, however, disputes the abandonment theory. Court filings indicate that X maintains it continues to own and use rights associated with the Twitter trademarks and has continued to protect those rights.

Twitter.now Looks Like the Twitter of Old

The newly launched Twitter.now intentionally resembles the classic Twitter experience. Users can post messages, reply to other users and use retweet-style functionality.

However, Operation Bluebird says it is not attempting simply to recreate the old Twitter. The company says its goal is to create a public social network focused more heavily on trust, transparency and user choice.

The platform is still in its early stages and currently has only hundreds of users, meaning it faces the enormous challenge of building an audience from scratch.

AI-Powered Fact Checking Is a Key Feature

One of Twitter.now’s most notable differences is its automated fact-checking system.

Operation Bluebird has introduced an AI-powered tool called Vera, described as a Gemini-based real-time “veracity engine.” The system is designed to analyze posts and provide users with additional context about potentially inaccurate claims.

The company says the feature is part of its broader effort to create a social platform that allows free expression while reducing the spread of harmful or inaccurate viral content.

X Faces a New Challenge

The launch puts additional pressure on X Corp because Operation Bluebird is no longer simply seeking trademark rights—it has launched an actual competing service using the disputed identity.

Legal experts have cautioned that Operation Bluebird’s position is far from guaranteed. Trademark abandonment cases can depend on evidence of continued use, intent and the specific rights involved.

For now, the Twitter trademark dispute remains unresolved, and X could continue fighting the new platform in court.

What Happens Next?

Twitter.now’s launch creates an unusual situation in social media: two companies are now connected to competing claims surrounding one of the internet’s most recognizable names.

Operation Bluebird hopes its new platform can attract users who miss the original Twitter experience, while also offering stronger tools for trust and information verification.

Whether Twitter.now can build a meaningful user base—and whether it can legally keep using the Twitter name—will depend on both the platform’s growth and the outcome of the trademark fight.

For Musk’s X, meanwhile, the dispute represents another reminder that the decision to abandon the Twitter brand continues to have consequences years after the rebrand.