Elon Musk’s new ‘X’ sign at Twitter headquarters investigated by city of San Francisco

A city building inspector has since tried twice — Friday and Saturday — to gain access to the new roof sign, according to the city’s grievances. X representatives refused access to the inspector, allegedly telling the official that the structure “is a temporary lighted sign for an event.” according to the city’s complaint. The city inspector explained to X representatives on site that the structure must be removed or comply with city code.

It’s unclear what penalties the company could face, but building violations fees are often imposed, according to the city’s website, at least to “reimburse the department for the costs of the investigation and enforcement.” City officials did not immediately respond to The Washington Post on Sunday.

San Francisco requires a permit to approve new letters or symbols on a building’s sign “to ensure consistency with the historic character of the building and to ensure that the new additions are securely attached to the sign,” said Patrick Hannan, a spokesman for the city’s department for the Building Inspectorate, told The Post last week.

The X headquarters revamp sparked investigations Monday when the company brought in a crane to pluck the decade-old Twitter logo off the building and disrupted two lanes of traffic at a busy intersection. Local police received reports around The crane left in the middle of the afternoon, leaving the company’s old logo removal randomly incomplete.

Musk’s new logo took its menacing place on Friday, and on Saturday, he posted a nearly 20-second videoshowing the huge, glowing “X” in slow motion. The company did not immediately respond to The Post on Sunday.

“Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its headquarters out of San Francisco. Also, the city is in a downward spiral, with one company after another leaving or exiting. Therefore, they expect X to move as well. ” Musk posted Saturday. “We won’t. You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, even if others leave you, we’ll always be your friend.” (Musk has previously regarded San Francisco with apparent disdain.)

Meanwhile, many users on X were quick to criticize the sign, blasting it as unsuitable for nearby residences and distasteful.

Musk announced the social media platform’s new name and logo, X, early last week.

It’s the latest source of confusion about the company, which has been mired in controversy and chaos since Musk bought it for $44 billion last fall. The company has been sued for failing to pay millions in rent and investigated for illegally converting offices into bunks. It laid off more than 80 percent of its workforce. It ended its verification system in favor of blue ticks for purchases. Now the new name X has spurred user confusion and raised questions about brand management.

Trisha Thadani contributed to this report.