Twitter bird logo from S.F. headquarters detonated in Nevada desert stunt
One of the two original 560-pound Twitter bird logos that once perched atop the company's Market Street headquarters in San Francisco has met a fiery end, courtesy of an upstart online marketplace.
The 12-foot-tall bird sign, affectionately known as 'Larry' (a nod to Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird), was auctioned off earlier this year for $34,000.
Its buyer, Ditchit — a rival to OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace — didn't preserve the Silicon Valley artifact. Instead, the company detonated it in the Nevada desert as part of a marketing campaign.
According to Engadget, Ditchit enlisted a 15-person production crew, four Tesla Cybertrucks, and a Hollywood pyrotechnics expert to stage and film the explosion at a private 'adventure park' near Las Vegas.
The resulting YouTube video, released Tuesday, attempts to draw a symbolic link between Elon Musk's rebranding of Twitter to X and Ditchit's mission to shake up online classifieds.
'Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X to support free expression,' the video states. 'We're doing the same for local marketplaces.'
The giant emblem once loomed over Jessie Street and became a defining symbol of Twitter during its most influential years. It was removed after Musk's rebranding marked the official end of the platform's blue bird era.
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Gizmodo
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Elon Musk's Trillion-Dollar Robotaxi Gamble Is Here
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Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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Tesla launches robotaxi rides in Austin with big promises and unanswered questions
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That's in line with a first-hand account by Ed Niedermeyer, author of 'Ludicrous, The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors,' who is in Austin to monitor the robotaxi rollout. (Niedermeyer is a co-host of The Autonocast with TechCrunch editor Kirsten Korosec.) Neidermeyer found what appears to be a Tesla robotaxi depot — a nondescript parking lot dotted with trees near Oltorf Street in South Austin. The day before the launch, he spotted several driverless Model Ys — always with an employee behind the steering wheel — entering and exiting the parking lot. Groups of other Tesla Model Y vehicles, most with manufacturer plates, were also parked there. This morning, he spotted the branded Tesla Model Y robotaxis, this time with the employee in the front passenger seat, leaving the holding area. He observed one of the branded robotaxis, which had not yet picked up a rider, suddenly hitting its brakes two separate times — once in the middle of an intersection. It's unclear why the vehicle behaved that way. However, in a video, which TechCrunch has viewed, both instances occurred as the Tesla passed by police vehicles that were located in parking lots adjacent to the roadway. Leading up to the launch, Musk shared dribs and drabs about the Tesla robotaxi launch in a few interviews and posts on X. Even now, nearly all of the information about the robotaxi launch has been provided by the company's biggest supporters. In fact, Tesla has actively tried to suppress information about the robotaxi service. Tesla tried to block TechCrunch's public records request with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The company has also tried to block the city of Austin from fulfilling a records request by Reuters, according to the news service. 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Historically, autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo and former Cruise tested their respective self-driving technology by having a human safety operator behind the wheel and a second engineer in the front passenger seat. Eventually, that might be reduced to one person sitting in the passenger seat before removing them altogether. This practice was traditionally done during the testing phase — not commercial operations. Tesla is not using the futuristic vehicles, dubbed Cybercabs, that were revealed on October 10, 2024. Instead, the 2025 Tesla Model Y vehicles are equipped with what Musk describes as a new, 'unsupervised' version of Tesla's Full Self-Driving software. Tesla will not be using its in-cabin camera during rides by default. The company says it will only be used if a rider requests support or in the case of an emergency. It will use the camera after a ride ends to 'confirm Robotaxi's readiness for its next trip.' Tesla is encouraging early access riders to take photos and video of their experiences, although it says it 'may suspend or terminate Robotaxi access' if riders violate its rules, including if they 'disseminate content on a social media platform or similar medium depicting a violation of these Rules or misuse of the Robotaxi.' (That includes riders agreeing not to smoke, vape, drink alcohol, do drugs, or use the robotaxi in connection with a crime.) Musk and other Tesla executives praised the milestone on X, with Ashok Elluswamy, the head of the company's self-driving team, posting a photo of the 'Robotaxi launch party' from an undisclosed location. 'Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!! Culmination of a decade of hard work,' Musk wrote. But at least one rider on Sunday reported having an experience where Tesla's remote support team had to help in some way. It's not immediately clear what happened during that ride, but that same rider later said the ride was very smooth. Sign in to access your portfolio
