--- title: "Cops Called as Twitter Tries to Change Sign to “X”" description: "Cops were called to the Twitter headquarters because crews were trying to remove the Twitter sign without the required permits." date: "2023-07-25" modified: "2023-07-25" authors: - name: "Sharon Adarlo" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/sadarlo" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cops-twitter-sign-x" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" - "X" --- # Cops Called as Twitter Tries to Change Sign to “X” ![Cops were called to the Twitter headquarters because crews were trying to remove the Twitter sign without the required permits.]() *SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: San Francisco police arrive on scene as a worker removes letters from the Twitter sign that is posted on the exterior of Twitter headquarters on July 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Workers began removing the letters from the sign outside Twitter headquarters less than 24 hours after CEO Elon Musk officially rebranded Twitter as "X" and has changed its iconic bird logo, the biggest change he has made since taking over the social media platform. San Francisco police halted the sign removal shortly after it began. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) \Image: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images\* ## Sign of the Times Cops were called yesterday to the San Francisco headquarters of the social media company formerly known as Twitter — and now [seemingly called X]() — because crews were trying to remove the Twitter sign but apparently didn't have required permits. All told, it's an episode that's both amusing and painfully symbolic of the much-derided rollout of the new company name, not to mention the general tenure of CEO Elon Musk's mercurial and at times shambolic management style. A bit after 3pm, Getty Images photojournalist Justin Sullivan [tweeted a photo]() of a cherry picker parked outside the Twitter building. With the cherry picker's telescoping crane and platform posed next to the Twitter sign, it looked like the old logo was slated to come down after [Musk's announcement]() about Twitter changing its name to X. "We’re cutting the Twitter logo off the building with blow torches," [Musk had said]() on Sunday. ## Cop Dusters But as crews were taking down parts of the Twitter sign, officers from the San Francisco Police Department were called to the scene. The [*Associated Press* reported]() that the company didn't have the required permits and hadn't cordoned off the sidewalk from pedestrians for safety reasons. In the end, several letters were removed, leaving an "er." ## Elon and Winding Road Twitter denizens greeted the sign change and the police presence with virtual Bronx cheers. "Perfect allegory for Elon’s management skills," [quipped]() one Twitter user. Since he acquired Twitter for $44 billion last year, Musk has had an extremely chaotic tenure. He's lost both advertisers and users who are annoyed at moves such as [limiting the number of tweets people could see]() or [relaxing moderation guidelines](). Seen from a bird's eye point of view, the abrupt Twitter name change, [which experts are calling ill advised](), conforms to a pattern of general messiness and chaos at Musk's harem of companies. Tesla has been dragged down by embarrassing [quality control complaints]() and federal investigations into the [questionable safety]() of its Autopilot driver assist feature. During his helm at PayPal, fellow billionaire Peter Thiel led the [ouster of Musk]() after [company disagreements.]() All told, while Musk sees the X [as symbolizing]() "the imperfections in us all that make us unique," the public seems to see things very differently. Instead, the X is signaling to many people that the letter means "Stop" and "Dead End." **More on Twitter:** [*Business Genius Elon Musk Says He's Changing Twitter's Name*]()