Following Elon Musk’s rebranding of Twitter to simply “X,” a new sign was installed on the roof of the company’s headquarters. And, just as people on Twitter predicted it would, the giant flashing letter immediately became a massive headache for the those who live next door. And now it’s the subject of an investigation by San Francisco for permit violations.
The giant glowing letter appeared on top of the building on Friday — and was pointed directly into the windows of a residential complex across the street. “I would be f–king LIVID,” one person tweeted alongside a video of the new installation. “Imagine this f–king X sign right across from your bedroom.”
Well, thanks to resident Christopher J. Beale, everyone is seeing just how strong that blast of light is.
“Imagine no more,” he tweeted on Saturday. “This is my life now.”
He accompanied his tweet with a video of his view of the sign, shining directly at him (to the point that you can only barely make out that it’s an X at first glance). In a response to someone offering their pity, Beale noted that “it legit hurt my eyes when they were testing it in daylight… it’s hard to describe how bright it is.”
Beale earned plenty of support online, with most comparing his current situation to an episode of Nickelodeon’s early 2000s hit “iCarly,” or a beloved “Seinfeld” episode.
Others wondered how it could be legal, and the answer might just be: it isn’t.
On Monday, police in the city stopped the takedown of Twitter’s original sign because Elon Musk didn’t acquire the proper paperwork or permits needed to have a massive crane blocking traffic.
Now, it appears he may not have gotten the proper permits for this sign either. According to the Associated Press, the city of San Francisco lodged a complaint and launched an investigation into the new sign.
A representative for X didn’t immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
