--- title: "Elon Forced to Remove Strobing “X” Sign From Twitter Building" description: "San Franciscans are already bidding adieu to the strobing \"X\" sign that sat atop the Twitter headquarters for three days." date: "2023-07-31" modified: "2023-07-31" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/twitter-x-sign-removed" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "san francisco" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Forced to Remove Strobing “X” Sign From Twitter Building ![San Franciscans are already bidding adieu to the strobing "X" sign that sat atop the Twitter headquarters for three days.]() *SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 29: The ''X'' sign is seen that was installed on Friday night on the top of building of Twitter Headquarters in San Francisco, California, United States on July 29, 2023. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## X Eyes San Franciscans are already bidding adieu to the strobing "X" sign that sat atop the Twitter headquarters, which came down earlier today after the city launched an investigation into the eyesore. As the [*San Francisco Standard* reports](), the sign was removed from the roof of the Elon Musk-owned company's HQ after complaints from neighbors about its annoying, uber-bright strobing effect. Not long after the sign was erected, the city [launched a probe]() into whether it was installed legally. When government inspectors came to check it out, they were twice denied access to the roof as part of their probe, according to a [complaint from the city's Department of Building Inspection](). As one of the city inspectors noted in the official complaint, an employee who blocked access to the roof of the building claimed the strobing monstrosity was a "temporary lighted sign for an event." ## Flashing Lights As the building's neighbors told local news, the [strobing sign]() — which was only up for a whopping [three days]() following the [hasty rebrand]() a few days before that — was a major nuisance. "It was so bright that it was actually hurting my eyes a little bit," Miao Gong, who lives nearby, told [SF's Fox affiliate *KTVU*](). "I think if it had just stayed on, I could've ignored it, but because it kept flashing, it was hard to ignore." Footage [taken after the sign's removal]() reveals that the only remaining vestige of the erstwhile "X" sign are the two posts on which it was installed. After the name change last week, eagle-eyed X-watchers noticed that [crews were removing the "Twitter" sign]() from the side of the site's Market Street headquarters — a move that was also [done without a permit](), and which now seems to leave the building nameless. **More on X:** [*Indonesia Blocks Twitter, Thinking the "X" Was a Porn Thing*]() ## 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]()