'Its a grand experiment': Bluebird president on the Twitter revival platform that's now called 'Tweet' and why it won't be using that blue bird

Date:
Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:58:39 +0000

Description:
Twitter is dead, but Tweet.app lives. We get the full story on the new name, why it's still pay-only, and how algorithm control could change the social-media game.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Twitter is not back, and we'll surely never see the likes of it again. In its place, we have X, and now, Tweet.app. You can be forgiven for the confusion. Many who still use X think their posts are tweets, but the still-pay-to-play platform from Bluebird,
Inc. is now called Tweet.

It's a tale far too rich to contain in, say, a classic 140-character tweet, but I'll attempt to unpack it here, with insights from Bluebird, Inc. President and General Counsel Stephen Coates. "I call it the 'Tweenix,' " Coates tells me, after I noted that Tweet.app's new blue logo looks a little like a phoenix. The imagery is apt. It signifies classic Twitter rising from the ashes, but also Bluebird's initial success and then failure to revive 'Twitter', before ultimately launching Tweet.app a few weeks ago. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Two years ago, Bluebird began the skunkworks project to revive Twitter , a brand Elon Musk effectively killed when he bought Twitter in 2022 and then in 2023 rebranded it to X, leaving vestiges of the old 'Twitter' scattered throughout the services, a fact that played a crucial role in Bluebird's ability to revive the brand.

Coates told me that after his company tried to file for a cancellation of the 'Tweet' and 'Twitter' trademarks in December of last year, X quickly filed a federal injunction. In the meantime, Bluebird launched Twitter.now. Months later, the judge ruled that because X still had "formerly Twitter" on the Apple App Store listing, it had brand rights. Coates called the ruling surprising, but Bluebird quickly pivoted and rebranded to Tweet. You may like MySpace returnsagain. No surprise; I'm shocked it's not the first all-AI social platform Meta might be on the hook for $1.4 trillion if it loses a landmark lawsuit what would that mean? Jack Dorsey wants to take on Slack
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The company, he told me, has no plans to go after the iconic Twitter bird logo, even though it's not well protected as a brand by X. Hence, the
Tweenix.

Tweet, though, still seems like a risky name. Coates told me, "We're optimistic... It seems highly likely well prevail on 'Tweet'." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Bluebird, Inc. President Stephen J. Coates (Image credit: Bluebird, Inc.) That remains to be seen. When you sign up for Tweet, you must acknowledge that you know it's not affiliated with X. Search Tweet in the App Store, and the first result is still X. However, Tweet.app operating relatively under the radar might help
it avoid further scrutiny from X and Elon Musk.

It has, by Coates' measure, just about 8,000 users. "[That's] pretty good, considering it's paid," Coates told me. The platform is so small that you could conceivably read all the tweets I'm not sure that's a selling point, but Coates said there are "already community and inside jokes."

The company is using the income from those users to pay its small team of 10 employees and contractors as it builds the platform and tweaks the moderation filters, something Coates considers of critical importance. What to read next Black Holes and Revel-AI-tions - Meta's new personal AI agent accused of stealing social media handles from top British band Muse OpenAI vs Apple text messages reveal even Apple isnt protected from brain drain Former Head of Innovation at Spotify is building interactive 'digital music playgrounds'

Tweet.app, which does resemble old-school Twitter, is currently using AI to scale its moderation, including its still-in-beta Vera tool, which measures content for misinformation and applies a score. Eventually, Tweet.app members will have a dial connected to those ratings to automatically filter out their desired level of misinformation.

That's right, Tweet.app won't be in the business of rooting out all fake
news. The creed will be, "Freedom of speech but not freedom of reach," said Coates. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Where Twitter, under former CEO Dick Costolo, whom Coates worked under, struggled with how to be a town square when there was one guy shouting obscenities in the corner, Tweet.com will let the guy shout, but
also let users hide the obscenities they don't want to see in their feeds.

If it works, all of it will be powered by this AI. "I call it AI for good. We're not creating tools that will create AI outputs," said Coates, who has worked as counsel for Meta, Reddit, and TikTok.

None of this, of course, ensures success. Classic social media, including Twitter, was built on viral moments, like the Arab Spring, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and selfies that broke the internet.

I call it AI for good. We're not creating tools that will create AI outputs Stephen Coates Coates acknowledged the power of these "inflection" moments, but reminded me that you can't predict them. Tweet.app is happy to grow slowly. Coates knows that paying members will be more deeply engaged than people who simply hop on the platform for free. "At some point will it be
open to everyone? I certainly hope so," he told me.

I asked Coates why we need this or any other new social media. He told me
that he sees room for reinvention, with space for social media that gives users control. "We're empowering them to control the algorithm," which is an idea that well-established social media platforms have only recently approached.

As the other upstart micro-blogging social media platform, Bluesky, moves
away from the town square concept , Coates sees an opportunity to build an alternative to the only other big open platform: X.

"There's room for more. I think people will come for the nostalgia of Twitter and tweeting and stay for the control and experience. Its a grand
experiment." Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/its-a-grand-experiment-bluebi rd-president-on-the-twitter-revival-platform-thats-now-called-tweet-and-why-it -wont-be-using-that-blue-bird


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