Twitter auctioning its bird statue and office trinkets
Social media fanatics got the chance to own office furniture that once sat inside Twitter's San Francisco headquarters — at the cost of thousands of dollars, in some cases.
The technology company has auctioned off more than 600 pieces of used furniture, electronics, kitchen equipment and other in-office appliances via Global Heritage Partners. Most of the items put up were tables, chairs and television monitors. The lots also included a Vulcan brand griddle with a bid of $5,250 at the time the auction ended Wednesday, and a soundproof conference room booth priced at $7,250.
Other interesting items Twitter auctioned included:
- Pair of stationary bicycles that recharge electronic devices when you ride them
- Giant planter shaped like the @ symbol
- Wicker hanging chair with matching stand
- Two automatic espresso machines with hoppers
- 20-gallon vegetable dryer
- LCD laser projector unit
- Kegerator brand beer dispenser
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, bought Twitter for $44 billion in October and is now trying to cut expenses at the company. The items up for auction were heavily used during Twitter's heyday, when the company had more than 7,500 full-time workers worldwide and free lunch and other in-office perks were common. Since Musk's takeover, about three-quarters of Twitter's employees have now left the company because they were laid off, fired or quit.
"Wild to see the Twitter office on auction," Kevin Weil, the former senior vice president of product at Twitter, posted this week. "Boardroom tables, phone booths, chairs, monitors … even the Twitter bird statue. Great memories from a different era."
My favorite part of the Twitter auction is whoever is bidding $1150 a pop, pre fees, for late-2013 iMacs. (I ran the serial numbers to get the age)
— Christina Warren (@film_girl) January 18, 2023
Twitter, which doesn't have a media relations staff, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Neither did Global Heritage Partners.
The selloff comes as Twitter's bills mount. The company is behind on rent at its San Francisco headquarters, the New York Times reported last month. Earlier this month, Twitter was sued for nearly $140,000 in rent on another office it occupies in the city, the lease for which expires in 2024.
Ross Dove, chief executive at Heritage Global, told the Times that more than 20,000 people registered to bid on Twitter items — the most in Heritage's 90-year history. Dove said that while Twitter "bought the best of the best" in terms of office appliances, "I don't believe we would have had this crowd without the fascination with Twitter," according to the outlet.
The priciest items on auction include a Twitter bird statue, which had a $28,500 bid as of noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, and a neon Twitter bird light, priced at $33,500.