Giant X removed from Twitter HQ after slew of safety complaints
Goodbye, giant X logo sign erected hastily atop Twitter headquarters in San Francisco on Friday night.
Just days after the large metal “X” logo was built to mark the new name of Elon Musk’s social media platform, workers were already deconstructing the sign, according to local news reports. It was completely removed by Monday afternoon.
Its removal ends a short saga which saw a slew of complaints from Musk’s neighbors about the sign’s unsafe build and strobe lighting. The company had also turned away inspectors with the San Francisco Department of Buildings multiple times over the past few days who wanted to check out the permitless structure.
The large X sign went up late last week, marking the end of a five-day stretch that saw Elon Musk rid Twitter of its name and iconic bird logo, in favor of calling the platform X. Early Saturday morning, Musk posted a video on the social media platform, depicting the glowing X sign which was erected just hours earlier.
“Our HQ in San Francisco tonight,” tweeted Musk alongside a visual of the pulsating lights of the X logo perched atop the main building where the company resides.
However, the X logo came as a surprise to the neighborhood and it was immediately treated as an unwelcome guest. Local San Francisco residents immediately started posting videos depicting the bright lights emanating from the X logo, including a strobe lighting effect.
Some pointed out that the strobe lights were especially dangerous as they could induce seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.
One Twitter user posted a video from the point of view of one of the apartments next door.
“This is my life now,” tweeted @realchrisjbeale with a video of the bright lighting effects glowing through the apartment window.
Overhead photos taken by those in the surrounding areas also showed another cause for concern: It appeared that the giant X structure erected on the rooftop was simply being weighed down with sandbags.
Social media users noted that they wouldn’t walk down that street due to the potential hazards caused by the installation.
Responding to complaints, the San Francisco Department of Buildings sent an inspector to Twitter headquarters on Friday, but that inspector was turned away by the company.
According to the inspector on the scene, a company representative declined to provide rooftop access and explained that the lighted sign was a “temporary structure for an event.” The inspector noted that he spoke with the property manager and attempted to gain access again the following day.
“Upon arrival access was denied again by tenant,” the inspector wrote in the public case notes filed with the department on Saturday. The inspector issued the company with a notice of violation, which may result in fines, due to the lack of a permit for the structure.
Today, the city of San Francisco uploaded nearly two dozen more complaints it received since the X structure went up. Many complainants noted the use of the sandbags and the issues with the X logo’s strobe lighting. An additional note made mention of lighting on the logo that allegedly began “drooping” off.
Musk’s company created similar building-related issues last week when attempting to remove the old Twitter logo sign from the side of the building. Police temporarily shut down the sign takedown due to potential safety issues stemming from the sidewalk and street not being closed down.