Elon Musk has hinted at the launch of a new email service called Xmail that could rival Google’s Gmail. The new offering will reportedly have a cleaner and simpler design than Gmail which is often criticised for its archaic layout. The billionaire was responding to an X user’s post when he said the new offering would ‘reimagine’ how the email ecosystem works which is currently dominated by Gmail.
“Having an @x.com email address is the only thing that can stop me from using Gmail!” said one user to which Mr Musk replied: “Interesting. We need to rethink how messaging, including email, works overall.”
“Yeah. On the list of things to do,” he later added.
Interesting.
We need to rethink how messaging, including email, works overall. https://t.co/6wZAslJLTc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 15, 2024
Mr Musk also confirmed that Xmail will have a DM-style interface, akin to the current messaging platforms. Currently, emails have long threads of messages with formatting which does not translate into a good viewing and reading experience for most users.
“I’d just like an email address that goes into a plain text DM inbox and abstracts the annoying & messy threads/formatting mess that is email. The main nice thing about email is that it is a universal handle system and compatible with everything so you don’t have to download a new app, input a contact, or connect with someone,” wrote another user, to which Mr Musk replied: “That’s exactly what we are going to do.”
TBH i’d just like an email address that goes into a plain txt DM inbox and abstracts the annoying & messy threads/formatting mess that is email
the main nice thing about email is that it is a universal handle system and compatible with everything so you dont have to download a… https://t.co/qNpwh2DhoA
— Ross (@rpoo) December 16, 2024
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Internet reacts
The news sparked intense discussion on social media with users curious to know how X would pivot from being a social media company to competing with the likes of established tech giants.
“I can’t wait for Xmail. It will be the only mail I use once it comes,” said one user, while another added: “Can Grok then be set up to be your built-in email assistant? That would be dope!”
A third commented: “Yes and PLEASE make it easy to find the emails you’re looking for. Let GROK find what I’m looking for, summarize it and even write my emails.”
As per a Forbes report, X has around 600 million users while Gmail has around 2.5 billion or a third of the world’s population. Experts argue that developing the platform might be easier but scaling it to the level of Gmail would take some effort.