Twitter X sign: why was it taken down from Twitter headquarters, who complained, what has Elon Musk said?

The X sign has been removed from the roof of the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco.

The giant flashing sign was only unveiled on 28 July as part of Elon Musk’s rebrand of the social media platform, but following complaints from residents, it is no more. Over the weekend videos of the logo, complete with its pulsing and strobe effects were shared on social media.

Musk, who bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, launched its rebrand on July 24 and currently has a video of the illuminated sign pinned to the top of his X account. So, why was the Twitter X sign taken down and what has Musk said? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why was the Twitter X sign taken down?

Just days after the unveiling of the new X sign at the former Twitter headquarters in San Francisco it has been taken down. The large metal logo which was erected on the roof of its Market Street headquarters on 28 July is no more after the city building department logged 24 complaints.

Neighbours reportedly complained about the sign’s intrusive lights, with the large sign glowing, pulsing and strobing. Twitter user, Christopher Beale, shared a video of the sign as seen from his apartment, along with the caption: “Imagine no more. This is my life now.”

X have reportedly said that the removal of the sign was voluntary. Reported by Reuters, a spokesperson from the city Department of Building Inspection said: “This morning, building inspectors observed the structure being dismantled. The property owner will be assessed fees for the unpermitted installation of the illuminated structure.”

Why is Twitter renamed to X?

Twitter’s rebrand may have something to do with Musk’s fondness for the letter X. Back in 1999, he founded a financial start-up called X.com which would later become PayPal. According to the Evening Standard, Musk left the company as he did not want the company name to change.

The letter X also features in his portfolio, in 2002 he formed SpaceX, whilst his Tesla firm has the X model and he has even named his son with musician Grimes, X Æ A-Xii, with his nickname being X.

Another possible reason behind the rebrand is Musk’s desire to turn Twitter into an app that offers users a variety of social media platforms in one place. Speaking about the rebrand, Twitter’s CEO Linda Yaccarino said: “X will be the platform that can deliver … everything.”

She added: “It’s an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression. Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square.

“For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential. X will do that and more. We’ve already started to see X take shape over the past eight months through our rapid feature launches, but we’re just getting started.”

What has Elon Musk said?

Musk, who bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, currently has a video of the illuminated sign pinned to the top of his X account and also has it as his background image.

The Tesla CEO hasn’t yet commented on the sign being removed, but did share a post about the city of San Francisco, where the office is located. Musk wrote: “It is important for more people to come to work in San Francisco or the rest of the city can’t survive.”