Aviva Fried (US) / Photo credit: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP 07:44, August 01, 2023

To officially mark the name change - and logo - of the social network Twitter, Elon Musk had installed a giant X at the top of his building in San Francisco. But the panel, luminous with a stroboscopic effect, did not please at all either the neighbors or the municipality. A bad publicity stunt?

Bye bye the blue bird, hello X. New episode in the Twitter series: the social network with 368 million monthly active users has officially changed its name and logo as its new boss Elon Musk wanted. The billionaire, who is not at his first controversy, has for the occasion seen things big. He had installed a giant X at the top of his building in San Francisco, which he quickly had to abandon under pressure from the municipality.

>> READ ALSO - Loss of value, advertisers disappeared, users dissatisfied... Twitter in turmoil

24 complaints from residents, inspectors banned from access

The spectacle of the giant "X", made of metal illuminated with a strobe effect like the Eiffel Tower, did not please the neighbors at all, as explained on a local channel this resident who lives in the same street: "It was so bright that it hurt my eyes. It kept flashing. It was really hard to ignore it." 24 complaints from residents were filed with the city's urbanization department, which dispatched inspectors on several occasions. But they were denied access to the building.

Fighting for the City, which threatens a big fine if the company does not remove its sign. On the social network, Elon Musk reacts by sending an emoji "dead of laughter". And this Monday, coup de théâtre: the X is finally destroyed voluntarily. But the company will still have to pay the city for illegal constructions. Meanwhile, all weekend, everyone was talking about X. And finally, a fine may be cheaper than an advertising campaign.