On Friday, Twitter installed an X logo on its Market Street headquarters, which sparked complaints from neighbors about the intrusive lights. The San Francisco building inspection department also stated it would conduct an investigation in response to the issue.
Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, announced that the renamed company would continue to be based in San Francisco, despite what he referred to as the city’s recent challenges with companies relocating elsewhere.
Change of headquarters
Previously, Musk had moved Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas in 2021. Keeping Twitter (now X) in San Francisco could indicate a positive sign for a city that has been grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic.
“Beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend,” Musk wrote.
Yet not all San Franciscans are keen for Musk’s friendship. People over the weekend recorded video of the giant X glowing, pulsing and strobing, with some criticising its intrusive lights.
Patricia Wallinga, who lives opposite, told news agencies it was “a danger” and “a clown show”. “I thought it was lightning, and I was very confused, then i went to my window, I looked around, I didn’t see anything. I thought it was maybe a police siren.”
Attorney George Wolf told says that residents were entitled to a chance to approve or reject such a development – “it’s very, very reckless [for Musk] to do things this way … It just sounds like it’s just his normal means of doing business. Break things and try and fix them later.”
X user @itsmefrenchy123 said they would be “LIVID” over the bright logo, imagining it “right across from your bedroom”.
San Francisco’s building inspectors said it might be in violation of rules. One wrote in a report that company representatives denied roof access, twice, to officials seeking to inspect the logo. The inspector noted one representative said the sign was temporary.