When billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, massive layoffs followed soon after. Thousands of employees lost their jobs under the new regime. As Elon Musk aimed to swiftly make changes at the company, iconic Twitter office decorations were auctioned off – including those huge hashtag sculptures and signs.
Now, some of those former Twitter employees are getting the last laugh, buying up those old office symbols at auction to decorate their own homes.
Mass Layoffs and Auctions Under Musk
Within the first few weeks after acquiring Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, Elon Musk slashed the company’s workforce in half – laying off nearly 3,700 employees. It was a shocking move that rattled many long-time Twitter staffers.
More surprises kept coming under the new Elon Musk-ruled Twitter. Its San Francisco headquarters, once filled with Twitter’s iconic oversized hashtags and branded art pieces, soon looked more bare and empty.
That’s because Elon Musk decided to auction off most of the office decorations as part of cost-cutting measures. Sculptures, signs, and artwork that once gave Twitter’s offices some personality were removed from the walls and halls.
From @ signs to hashtag sculptures – pieces of Twitter’s brand identity were slated for auction to the highest bidder. For many former employees, it was a sad sign of the times.
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Ex-Employees Bid on Old Twitter Relics
As the office auction kicked off, some former Twitter employees saw an opportunity to reclaim symbols from their former workplace.
By bidding on the old decorations, they could own a piece of Twitter history and nostalgia from their past jobs. It offered a way to redecorate their own homes with memorabilia from their time at one of the world’s most iconic social media companies.
Esther Crawford, a former Twitter product manager, snapped up the massive “Like” sign that once hung in Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters. She won it for $1,000 in the auction.
“This art used to hang in the global Twitter office in San Francisco. I’m excited that I get to keep a piece of design history,” Crawford told SFGate.
Other former Twitter staffers purchased items like a “#” sculpture made of Legos, old furniture from Twitter break rooms, and branded welcome mats. The starting bids were often just $25, making it feasible for laid-off employees to participate.
For them, the auctions represented a chance to own something meaningful from their time working at Twitter, before the company culture radically transformed under Musk.
Preserving Twitter History and Memories
While Elon Musk may be eager to erase traces of the old Twitter, its former employees hope to hold onto pieces of what made Twitter an important part of their professional lives.
“That place shaped my life, career, and professional identity profoundly,” said one former staffer who bought mementos to preserve that legacy.
The mass layoffs and dissolution of Twitter’s past spirit under Elon Musk happened abruptly. But by purchasing a relic like a familiar blue couch from the HQ lounge, ex-employees find comfort in remembering the culture they were once a part of.
Their newfound Twitter art also becomes a conversation piece when displayed in their homes. It allows them to share the story of working for the globally influential platform during its heyday.
While Elon Musk claims the company needs to aggressively cut costs, some see the auctioning off of Twitter history as erasing an iconic era for the brand.
But at least for several loyal ex-employees, iconic symbols like the hashtag sign live on – right in their living rooms.
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Musk’s Controversial Twitter Makeover
Former Twitter head of safety Yoel Roth summed up the irony:
“Telling that artifacts of a once-thriving, groundbreaking culture are being ‘liquidated’ in the most literal sense of the word,” he tweeted about the auctions.
Elon Musk overhaul of the company and sell-off of office memorabilia continues his swift and controversial changes as the owner of the platform.
He has radically shaken up policies, plans, and the workforce at Twitter – all in just a few months at the helm. After clearing out staff and legacy symbols of old Twitter, Musk aims to rapidly transform Twitter’s offerings to users.
Upcoming plans he has teased include expanded verification, enabling long-form tweets, and finding new revenue streams like subscription options.
But while Elon Musk charges ahead, some keep in their own hands a memento of Twitter’s past identity before he took over. The auctioned signs, sculptures, and artwork find new life decorating the homes of the employees who built and contributed to the Twitter of yore.
