San Francisco: Elon Musk-owned Twitter has placed hundreds of items from its San Francisco headquarters up for auction online, including the bird statue and other office assets.
From memorabilia, electronics, and furniture to kitchen supplies, more than 600 items were put on the auction block. The most expensive item that was sold during the tech giant’s fire sale was a statue of the platform’s famous bird logo.
The statue sold at a whopping sum of $100,000 (Rs 81,25,000) late Tuesday morning, the BBC reported. The identity of the buyer is unknown.
Bidding for the nearly four-foot-tall statue closed at $100,000, according to Heritage Global Partners, the corporate asset disposal firm overseeing the auction. However, the company declined to comment or share information about the buyers or bidding prices.
The second most expensive item was a 10-foot neon Twitter bird display that went for $40,000 (3,21,8240.)
Other notable items include three kegerators to store beer, a food dehydrator and a pizza oven that each sold for over $10,000 (Rs 815,233), as per Forbes. A 190cm (6ft) planter in the shape of an @ symbol finished near $15,000 (Rs 12,21,990), while a custom reclaimed wood conference room table closed near $10,500 (8,55,393).
Thousands of protective face masks and several soundproof phone booths sold for over $4,000. Bids started at between $25 and $50 for all items.
Since Elon Musk officially took control of Twitter in late October 2022, the micro-blogging site has been scrambling to cut costs. According to the BBC, this sale comes as Mr Musk slims down Twitter following his purchase of the company last year. However, organisers have said the sale isn’t intended to shore up Twitter’s finances. A representative of Heritage Global Partners told Fortune magazine last month that “this auction has nothing to do with their financial position.”
Nick Dove, a representative at HGP told Fortune, “They’ve sold for 44 billion, and we’re selling a couple of chairs and desks and computers. So if anyone genuinely thinks that the revenue from selling a couple of computers and chairs will pay for the mountain there, then they’re a moron.”
