It¡¯s rare for corporate brands to become so intertwined with everyday conversation that they become verbs. It¡¯s rarer still for the owner of such a brand to announce plans to intentionally destroy it.

In the middle of a quiet summer weekend, Elon Musk decreed that Twitter¡¯s product name would be changed to ¡°X,¡± and that he is getting rid of the bird logo and all the associated words, including ¡°tweet.¡± Musk¡¯s move wiped out anywhere between $4 billion and $20 billion in value, according to analysts and brand agencies.