On Monday, Twitter users logged into the platform and noticed something odd.
The blue bird logo that's usually visible throughout Twitter has been replaced. Instead of the bird, users are shown doge, the Shiba Inu internet meme that the 51-year-old, father of nine Elon Musk is seemingly obsessed with.
The doge icon can be seen replacing the Twitter bird, whose name is Larry, on the upper left-hand corner menu on the web. On mobile devices, it replaces the Twitter logo that once sat at the very top of the screen. Twitter is also displaying the doge meme on the loading page screen on the web.
It's unclear exactly why Twitter did this, although it almost certainly was approved, if not initiated, by Musk himself. The timing is also weird. Today is April 3. April Fools' Day was just a few days ago. This seems like something that should've rolled out then (if you absolutely had to.) Did Twitter attempt to roll this out in time for April 1, failed, and just decided to launch it when it was ready anyway?
Regardless of the reason, many Twitter users(opens in a new tab) found it(opens in a new tab) to be very lame(opens in a new tab).
Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)
One thing that is bizarre about the timing, though, is that it coincides with reports that Musk is trying to get a dogecoin-related lawsuit against him dismissed.
Dogecoin is the memecoin cryptocurrency that Elon Musk has heavily promoted over the years. The crypto token hit all-time highs in May 2021, on the day Musk hosted Saturday Night Live. The crypto pumped to $0.74 when Musk mentioned Dogecoin live on-air and quickly plummeted as investors began to sell-off their holdings, leaving many retail investors holding the bag. Dogecoin has hovered no higher than around $.06 and $.08 since the beginning of this year.
Last year, investors filed a lawsuit(opens in a new tab) against Musk for $258 billion for his alleged role in a pyramid scheme to help prop up Dogecoin. On Friday, Musk's lawyers requested(opens in a new tab) that the lawsuit be dismissed, calling the allegations a "fanciful work of fiction."
Not long after Twitter replaced its blue bird logo with doge today, Dogecoin prices spiked(opens in a new tab) from $0.07 to $0.10.
