X sign removed from Elon Musk company’s San Francisco headquarters

The giant, glowing “X” sign has been removed from the San Francisco headquarters of the social media company formerly known as Twitter.

Multiple outlets reported Monday that the sign, which was installed last week amid the company’s rebrand, was removed by workers after city residents and officials complained. 

More than a dozen complaints were filed to the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection after the sign was put up, including criticisms that the display wasn’t permitted and was a nuisance and that its flashing lights made it hard for residents to sleep, according to CNBC.

Complaints filed last Friday also said the old Twitter sign on the side of the building, which police had stopped workers from dismantling, was in an “unsafe condition” and that a city inspector had visited the headquarters and requested access to the roof where the “X” sign was installed, but had been denied by the company. An X representative reportedly explained to the inspector that the “X” structure was a “temporary lighted sign for an event.”

City officials launched an investigation into the company’s headquarters last week following the installation of the sign.

Department of Building Inspection spokesperson Patrick Hannan told The San Francisco Standard that 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,” Hannan said in his statement. “The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation.”

This comes a week after billionaire Elon Musk announced the rebranding of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, changing his profile avatar to an X logo and posting promotional content featuring “X’s.”

X, which was officially purchased by Musk last October, has undergone a slew of controversial changes in the months since, including limiting the number of direct messages a user can send and how many tweets they can see. 

Meanwhile, tech giant Meta has also gotten into the microblogging business, officially launching its text-based conservation social media platform, Threads, last month.