Thursday, September 21

 Musk’s New Shiny ‘X’ Sign Creates a Hellscape for Nearby Apartments in San Francisco

As if we need any more proof that Elon Musk is an IRL Sauron, X’s new sign is giving major Eye of Sauron energy.

It’s a move that no one asked for: rebranding Twitter — a celebrated moniker in social media — as “X,” which has an innocuous, nameless association outside of the internet… and, coincidentally enough, hints at Musk’s previous failures to use the name in past projects.

Since Twitter became “X” last weekend, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter has grown into a memespace rife with somber content about its death. Or, well: The site’s continued slide down to its inevitable demise. 

On Monday, X began dismantling the iconic, blue-bird signage outside its San Francisco headquarters that faces Market Street. In an all too fitting instance, City officials quickly thwarted its removal, citing that Musk had failed to ensure proper permitting. (Are we at all surprised?)

While the original Twitter sign remains intact, Musk has taken the liberty to install a new sign atop the social media’s SF headquarters.

Yes, it’s odious. Of course, it beams with white LEDs. And it’s, for sure, causing a nightmare for those living across 1355 Market Street.

“I would be fucking LIVID,” reads a tweet — (an “X?” Idk.)  — from user [at] itsmefrenchy123 on social media. “Imagine this fucking X sign right across from your bedroom.”

The sign which must be somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen or more feet tall, displays the “X” symbol, using black steel, and includes what appears to be a series of lasers or LEDs, as well as an ability to project an X onto nearby surfaces. When lit, it’s a blinding — not dazzling, mind you, but blinding — beacon of excessive flexing. It’s the equivalent of those idiots driving F-150s down Lombard Street.

It also strobes in nauseating cadences; as others have maintained, the sign in its current state also could pose a health risk to those who suffer from epilepsy or other neurological disorders.

For those curious about how that X sign might look from your bedroom window — “Imagine no more.”

“This is my life now,” SF-based journalist, audio engineer, and media host Christopher J. Beale wrote on the social media platform.

His view of the X sign is perched directly in the way of the sign’s unnecessary glow.

The muli-hyphen content creator later shared an additional video of the sign. This time, it was strobing as if to call upon an alien spacecraft — “Here’s another angle I forgot I had that shows the X strobing.”

Beale’s residence is likely inside one of two large apartment complexes, Fox Plaza Apartment and Essex of Fox, located across the street from X.

Nearby 100 Van Ness — the same apartment building that severely flooded in October of last year after a problematic resident released a pressure valve — sits 29 stories above and less than 1,00 feet from X’s headquarters. Suffice it to say that residences with views of Market Street in that building are now also subjected to Musk’s new Sauron-like object.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the City issued a “notice of violation, indicating illegal work, for an ‘unsafe sign’ and work without a permit” for the massive X sign. A following tweet from Beale confirmed that the sign has since gone dark as of Saturday night. 

Per the newspaper, landlords of the 1355 building sued X in January over allegations that the company accrued millions of unpaid rent.

So… like… maybe instead of installing an eyesore (that likely commanded tens of thousands of dollars to construct and install), X should really get its whole rent situation all sorted out, first? Just a thought.

Update on July 31st: As of Monday, July 31st, the “X” sign atop the social media’s downtown headquarters is no more. According to The Verge, a city’s complaint cited that Twitter repeatedly denied rooftop access to inspectors… saying that the X logo was a “temporary lighted sign for an event.” Regardless, there was no City permit sought nor granted for the event. The logo was removed Monday due to “safety concerns” after many residents in apartments across the street complained about the strobe flashing and strong glow coming from the sign; the building’s owner, which is not Musk, is expected to be fined for the sign’s construction; the social media company formerly known as Twitter can, however, still seek proper permitting for the logo (though, given its intrusive nature, likely won’t be approved by City officials). 

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