San Francisco has initiated an investigation and lodged a complaint regarding the large “X” sign erected on top of the city center building previously recognized as Twitter headquarters, as new owner Elon Musk continues to rebrand the social media giant.
City authorities maintain that a permit is required for the replacement of letters or symbols on buildings, or for mounting a sign on top of one, for safety and design purposes.
The “X” was installed following an incident where San Francisco police stopped employees from taking down the company’s renowned bird logo from the building’s facade on Monday, due to lack of safety measures for pedestrians in case of falling objects.
Any replacement letters or symbols would necessitate a permit to ensure they align with the building’s historical character and are safely affixed, stated Patrick Hannan, the spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection, earlier this week.
According to Hannan, the installation of a sign atop a building also requires a permit. He stated in an email, “The city is filing a complaint and starting an investigation into the installation of this sign, as planning review and approval are also required.”
Musk introduced a new “X” logo to replace Twitter’s iconic blue bird, as part of his overhaul of the platform that he purchased last year for $44 billion. The “X” began appearing at the top of the desktop version of Twitter on Monday.
Musk, also the CEO of Tesla, has shown a long-standing interest in the letter “X,” renaming Twitter’s corporate entity to X Corp. following his acquisition in October. He also named one of his children “X,” the child’s actual name being an amalgamation of various letters and symbols.
Adjustments to the sign were made by a worker on a lift machine on Friday afternoon, after which the worker departed.
