A giant glowing X marks the San Francisco spot where Elon Musk says he plans to keep his company, the messaging platform formerly known as Twitter. But city officials and some residents are unhappy with the display.
On Friday, the company erected an X logo on the roof of its Market Street headquarters, to the chagrin of neighbours who complained about intrusive lights, and San Francisco’s building inspection department, which said it would start an investigation.
Musk, who acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44bn, announced the renamed firm would remain in San Francisco despite what he termed the city’s recent “doom spiral, with one company after another left or leaving”.
Musk moved Tesla’s company’s headquarters from California to Texas in 2021. Keeping X in San Francisco could be a good sign for a city that has struggled to bounce back from 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.
Christopher Beale tweeted the X logo as seen from his place.
Imagine no more. This is my life now. https://t.co/k5QfAm8yuG pic.twitter.com/e7ECCM2NUD
— Christopher J. Beale (@realchrisjbeale) July 29, 2023
Patricia Wallinga, who lives opposite, told CBS news it was “a danger” and “a clown show”. “I thought it was lightning, and I was very confused. 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 CBS 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”.
“I’m just astounded at the flagrant lack of consideration for anyone ever,” wrote X user @DollyMarlowe.
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.
On Sunday night, Beale tweeted that the sign had gone out (… but for how long?).
Quieter tonight at X in #SanFrancisco. The X sign is dark. pic.twitter.com/lvxVj0vHga
— Christopher J. Beale (@realchrisjbeale) July 30, 2023
Reuters contributed to this report
