--- title: "Twitter Landlord Unhappy With Elon’s Naughty Change to Company Sign" description: "Elon Musk has chosen to white out the \"W\" on the Twitter HQ sign in San Francisco — and his landlord, apparently, isn't exactly thrilled." date: "2023-04-10" modified: "2023-04-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/twitter-landlord-elon-musk-sign" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "landlords" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Twitter Landlord Unhappy With Elon’s Naughty Change to Company Sign ![Elon Musk has chosen to white out the "W" on the Twitter HQ sign in San Francisco — and his landlord, apparently, isn't exactly thrilled.]() *\Image: Anadolu via Getty / Futurism\* ## Bachelor Pad Elon Musk has whited out the "W" on the Twitter HQ sign in San Francisco — and his landlord, apparently, isn't exactly thrilled. After initially [pulling a stunt at the end of last week]() in which he appeared to have the "W" taped up, resulting in the sign reading "Titter," Musk has since doubled down after receiving an apparent warning about the signage. "Our landlord at SF HQ says we’re legally required to keep sign as Twitter & cannot remove 'w', so we painted it background color," he tweeted. "Problem solved!" Very maturely, the multi-hyphenate CEO then added that the royal "they" had "[tried to muffle our titter]()." https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1645266104351178752 ## Squat House If Twitter's landlord did indeed issue an angry warning, it would likely be due to the bad blood already brewing. The company that owns the social network's San Francisco headquarters [sued Musk back in January]() for allegedly [not paying]() the building's whopping $3.4 million rent. Interestingly, another of Twitter's landlords ended up [defaulting on its own loans]() in late February after the company failed to make a $136,250 rent payment on another of its San Francisco offices. While it's unclear exactly why Musk has missed Twitter rent payments or how long it's been going on, these aren't the first murmurs we've heard of, shall we say, *domestic* issues at the social network's SF offices. Case in point: at the very beginning of the year, we learned that Musk [canceled the company's janitorial contracts]() to save money (or, perhaps, because its union [went on strike]() in December), which left the building smelling terrible. It's been [clear for years]() that Musk has a [curious relationship]() with [contractual obligations](), and giving the finger to his landlord in such a public way is just another escalation on his part that — unfortunately — he'll probably get away with. **More on Twitter HQ:** [*Fired Twitter Janitor Says Elon Musk Crony Told Him He'd Be Replaced Robots*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()