As part of the Twitter rebrand to “X”, the company removed the original sign outside their headquarters in San Francisco and added a massive, bright sign on top of the building, much to the chagrin of local residents.
One resident, Jessica Xu, told ABC7 that, “It is pretty annoying from my perspective. I think it’s way too bright! It was flashing directly into my apartment and just lit up my entire place.”
What do you think of the X Headquarters sign?pic.twitter.com/IhimnBEfBF
— Elon Musk (Parody) (@ElonMuskAOC) July 29, 2023
Annoying locals is one thing, but the San Francisco Department of Buildings has taken issue as well. Officials have issued a notice of violation against the company as it is believed the sign was erected without a permit.
Shortly after the sign was installed Friday July 28, Department investigators tried to inform the company that their new sign was in violation of the city’s building codes. Investigators requested access to the roof, but were denied access with a Twitter representative telling investigators that the sign was a “temporary lighted sign for an event,” according to the official complaint.
Another attempt to reach the roof was made on Saturday July 29, but “access was denied by [the] tenant.”
The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection spokesman, Patrick Hannan, said in a statement, “A building permit is required to make sure the sign is structurally sound and installed safely. Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign.”
Video footage shared across social media shows that the “X” sign has now been removed.
They made us remove the X sign from our Headquarters.
— Elon Musk (Parody) (@ElonMuskAOC) July 31, 2023
Anarchy!pic.twitter.com/W4FPwitPEJ
Permits and reviews are required in San Francisco to “ensure consistency with the historic nature of the building and to ensure the new additions are safely attached to the sign,” Hannan told The Washington Post.
The sign comes as part of Twitter’s rebrand to X, a chaotic process that has led to an estimated loss of $20 billion USD from its brand value. However, brand valuation is difficult to determine due to the varying processes of determination, but several analysts and agencies believe that the company’s brand has taken a significant hit since Elon Musk’s takeover.
