‘Unpermitted’ Giant X Removed From Headquarters of Company Formerly Known as Twitter (UPDATE)

Elon Musk abruptly rebranded Twitter as X, and promptly moved to take the former name off its headquarters.

July 24, 2023

UPDATED 7/31, 10:05 p.m. ET: The "X" is gone.

The glowing eyesore of a structure that stood atop the San Francisco headquarters of the company formerly known as Twitter was dismantled Monday, according to CNN Business.

The sign was installed on Friday. That same day, the company received a notice of violation from the city's Department of Building Inspection for operating without a permit.

Since then, DBI spokesperson Patrick Hannan said the department received a number of complaints about its "structural safety and illumination."

"Over the weekend, the Department of Building Inspection and City Planning received 24 complaints about the unpermitted structure, including concerns about its structural safety and illumination," Hannan told CNN. "This morning, building inspectors observed the structure being dismantled."

To make matters worse, the owner of the X building will be billed for the structure's "unpermitted installation" and required to cover the cost of the Department of Building Inspection, as well as the investigation conducted by the Planning Department.

See original story below.

Elon Musk is continuing his Twitter rebrand.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX attempted to give the social media platform’s San Francisco headquarters a facelift on Monday but was stopped by police. Workers in a hydraulic lift were taking down the Twitter logo and lettering from the building’s exterior, likely for Musk’s new X logo.

The arrival of several San Francisco Police Department vehicles interrupted the project. KRON 4 reports that officers came to the scene due to a potential unpermitted street closure. Later, an SFPD spokesperson told the news outlet that no criminal activity had occurred in the area.

“The incident was not a police matter,” the spokesperson said.

The Sa Twitter had a work order to take the sign down but didn’t communicate it with security and the property owner of the building. Police were called amid the confusion.

News arrived on Monday of the platform’s new name.

“Not sure what subtle clues gave it way [sic], but I like the letter X,” Musk tweeted on Sunday.

The company’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino also issued a new statement about the updated name.

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

This isn’t the first time Musk has tried to change the Twitter HQ sign. Back in April, he painted over the W in the logo so it read Titter instead. It's unclear why he wanted to remove the letter.