Title: Elon Musk’s X Logo on Twitter Headquarters Causes Tension with San Francisco City Authorities
Subtitle: Inspections Blocked as Musk Defends Company’s Renaming Decision
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Department of Building and Inspection has been unable to inspect the new black “X” logo on the roof of Elon Musk’s social media company, formerly known as Twitter, for two consecutive days. The company has declined access to the structure, sparking further tensions between Musk and the city.
The recent name change to X by Musk’s company has resulted in a series of conflicts with San Francisco officials. The change followed Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October, reflecting his plans for a company overhaul.
On Tuesday, city officials attempted to remove Twitter’s iconic blue-bird sign and logo from its Market Street headquarters. However, the effort was halted as no permit had been filed, leaving only the “er” portion of the Twitter logo and one of the blue birds de-blued.
On Friday, a large black X appeared on the roof of the building, prompting a notice of violation to be filed due to work being done without a permit. According to Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection, any replacement letters or symbols require a permit to ensure consistency with the historic nature of the building and guarantee proper attachment to the sign.
When the department’s inspector requested access to the roof area on Friday, representatives from the company, now called Tweeter, declined to provide access, stating that the structure was a temporary lighted sign for an event. The inspector reiterated that the notice of violation required the structure to be removed with a building permit or legalized.
Despite a second attempt to gain access on Saturday after conversations with the property manager, the tenant once again denied entry to the inspector. Consequently, the notice of violation was redrafted and reissued on 7/29/23.
However, Musk remains determined to keep X in San Francisco, despite the city’s reputation for losing major companies. In a tweet pinned to the top of his X page, Musk wrote, “Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco… San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”
The dispute between Musk’s company and San Francisco authorities continues to escalate, leaving the fate of the black X logo and the company’s headquarters uncertain.