When Twitter established its sleek headquarters in a troubled area of downtown San Francisco almost ten years ago, the company's blue bird logo represented a new beginning for a city grappling with urban decay, homelessness, and high unemployment rates. Former Mayor Ed Lee, who supported the "Twitter tax break" to convince the growing company to stay, emphasized the importance of making companies like Twitter feel welcome.
However, since Elon Musk took over as owner last October and transformed the company into "X," Twitter's relationship with San Francisco has become increasingly strained. The company has faced lawsuits for unpaid rent and investigations for illegally converting offices into sleeping quarters, following Musk's claim that he was sleeping on a couch on the seventh floor. With a significant number of tech employees leaving the city, Twitter has downsized its workforce by more than 80%, effectively emptying its headquarters.
The most recent blow came on Monday when a crane was used to remove the Twitter logo from the building's facade, causing disruption and prompting a 911 call due to traffic congestion at a busy intersection.
Meanwhile, Musk has not been a considerate neighbor. In viral tweets, he has criticized San Francisco as a "derelict zombie apocalypse" and falsely attributed the murder of a tech executive on a downtown street to rampant "violent crime in SF." After the April murder, for which an acquaintance of the deceased is now facing trial, Musk complained that even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins condemned Musk's comments as "reckless" and accused him of spreading misinformation.
While Twitter and Musk did not respond to requests for comment, it is well-known that Musk has a brash and impulsive style. He has had numerous conflicts with government officials in his role as CEO of Tesla, as the company faces scrutiny from federal regulators regarding the testing of new technologies like "Full Self-Driving" on public roads.
The "Twitter tax" was a special tax break offered by the city of San Francisco to convince Twitter to establish its headquarters in the troubled Mid-Market neighborhood. The tax break waived the city's 1.5 percent payroll tax for businesses that moved to the area, which was grappling with urban decay, homelessness, and high unemployment rates.
Former Mayor Ed Lee played a key role in supporting the tax break and making companies like Twitter feel welcome in the city. The move was seen as a new beginning for San Francisco, with the blue bird logo of Twitter representing hope and revitalization.
However, since Elon Musk took over as owner of Twitter and transformed it into "X" last October, the relationship between the company and San Francisco has deteriorated. Musk's brash and impulsive style has caused controversy, including lawsuits for unpaid rent and investigations for illegally converting offices into sleeping quarters.
Moreover, Musk has publicly criticized San Francisco, calling it a "derelict zombie apocalypse" and spreading misinformation about violent crime in the city. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins condemned Musk's comments as reckless and accused him of spreading false information.
Musk's conflicts with government officials are not limited to Twitter. As CEO of Tesla, he has had numerous clashes with regulators over the testing of new technologies on public roads. He has also defied local officials during the early days of the pandemic by reopening his Tesla factory in the Bay Area against quarantine policies.
In addition to the controversies surrounding Musk, his decision to change Twitter's name to "X" has generated further controversy. It has raised questions about brand management and copyright, as rival company Meta holds a registered trademark for "X" in relation to online social networking services.
Overall, the once-promising relationship between Twitter and San Francisco has soured under Musk's ownership. The company has downsized its workforce significantly, effectively emptying its headquarters, and its presence in the city has become increasingly strained.
