Twitter staff trying to remove the older logo from their building get detained by the police

Twitter is undergoing a major rebranding exercise and will now be known as “X,” a decision that involves letting go of its iconic and highly valuable blue bird logo, and a brand name in favour of Elon Musk’s personal preference for something he finds cool. Interestingly, although Musk is not officially leading the company in its policies and only leads the technical aspects of it, it sure seems that behind the scenes, he is the one pulling the strings. As part of the rebranding process, there was an attempt to remove the Twitter sign from its headquarters at 1355 Market Street in San Francisco, by some of the employees.

Welp, @twitter name so coming off the building right now but @elonmusk didn’t get permit for the equipment on the street so @SFPD is shutting it down. pic.twitter.com/CFpggWwhhf

— Wayne Sutton (@waynesutton) July 24, 2023

However, things took a dramatic turn when the police intervened, halted the sign removal shortly after it began, and had to detain a couple of employees for some time. The exact reason for the police intervention wasn’t immediately clear. One observer, Wayne Sutton, initially tweeted that Musk didn’t obtain a permit for the crane used in the removal process, which might have triggered the police response. Nevertheless, local police clarified that it was all a misunderstanding. Officers from Tenderloin Station responded to a report of a potential unpermitted street closure around 10th and Market Street at approximately 12:39 PM, local time. After investigating the situation, they concluded that no crime had been committed, and the incident was not within their jurisdiction.

As a result, the rebranding attempt continued, and the Twitter sign was eventually replaced with the new “X” branding, signifying the company’s shift to its new identity. According to the police on the scene, it was revealed that someone from Twitter had a work order to remove the sign, but they failed to communicate this to the building’s security and property owner. As a consequence, the property manager upon seeing a crane brought to the facilities, alerted the police. The crane that was initially used for the removal is no longer present near the premises, leaving some passersby to notice that the Twitter sign has now been replaced with the new branding, making the company now appear as “er” to them.

During the incident of removing the Twitter sign at its headquarters, some prominent letters, including a white “W,” were seen lying on the ground. Elon Musk had previously claimed that the white “W” was at the centre of a dispute with the landlord. It’s possible that this dispute was related to unpaid rent by Musk.