Tech
San Francisco Headquarters Auction Sells Twitter’s Bird Statue For $100,000
(CTN NEWS) – The San Francisco headquarters of Twitter just finished an auction for hundreds of things.
The most expensive item sold was a statue of the platform’s iconic bird emblem, which went for $100,000 (£81,000).
Online viewers pointed out that some pre-owned things weren’t a deal because they were going for higher prices than retail.Following his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year, owner Elon Musk is cutting expenses at the company with the sale.
The company employs 7,500 people, and since taking over in late October, Mr. Musk has let around half of them go.Additionally, he has eliminated many of Twitter’s benefits, such as free dinners.
A statue of a Twitter logo
The BBC gathered several values immediately before the sale closed, but the auction’s administrator, Heritage Global Partners, did not release the final findings.
A 190 cm (6 ft) tall planter with the @ symbol sold for $15,000 (£12,160).
A planter shaped like the @ symbol
A handmade conference room table made from salvaged wood sold for close to $10,500 (£8,510).
Wooden table in Twitter office
A high-end La Marzocco Strada 3 espresso machine, with a retail value of $30,000 (24,300), was sold by Twitter from its former coffee shop for about $13,500 (£10,940).
A high-end La Marzocco espresso machine
Polycom conference call speaker phones were available for under $300.
Polycom phone
With two hours remaining to bid, an ergonomic standing desk kit that had never been used was hoping to bring in around the same amount.
A Herman Miller molded plywood Eames chair that typically sells for $1195 went for at least $1400, but several pieces appeared to sell for more than their street value.
In November, Mr. Musk tweeted that the company had experienced a “huge drop in revenue” due to the loss of many advertisers.
He also expressed concern that the company would fail.
New: $1,195
Used: $1,400 pic.twitter.com/ahAA9jrISZ— Ed (@EdDaWord) January 17, 2023
In offices worldwide, including their headquarters in San Francisco, where their landlord is suing for non-payment, Twitter is alleged to have missed rent payments.
However, Nick Dove of Heritage Global Partners, the organization organizing the auction, told Fortune magazine that the sale had nothing to do with recovering expenses related to the $44 billion purchase.
He declared that anyone who honestly believes that the profits from selling a few computers and chairs will cover the cost of the mountain there is stupid.
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