Current:Home > NewsTwitter auctioned off office supplies, including a pizza oven and neon bird sign -Excel Money Vision
Twitter auctioned off office supplies, including a pizza oven and neon bird sign
View
Date:2025-04-24 23:31:23
Are you in need of some mid-century modern furniture, industrial kitchen equipment or audio-visual systems? Or looking to brighten up your apartment with a giant neon bird sign?
Then you're in luck. Twitter's San Francisco headquarters auctioned off "surplus corporate office assets" online for a fleeting 27 hours, giving potential lucky bidders the chance to take a piece of the struggling company home with them.
Auction house Global Heritage Partners is running the de facto fire sale, which closed at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on Wednesday and charged a buyer's premium of 18%.
The 631 lots include office supplies like projectors and massive white boards (in both old-school and digital form), kitchen equipment from espresso machines to refrigerators (including a kegerator beer dispenser), a wide variety of chairs and couches and miscellaneous modern-day workplace staples like assorted power adapters and KN95 masks in bulk.
There's also a bit of Twitter-specific memorabilia, including a six-foot-tall "@"-shaped planter sculpture filled with artificial flowers (with a high bid of $8,250), a blue neon sign in the shape of the app's bird logo ($22,500) and a smaller, sturdier bird statue ($20,500).
Other notable items include a pizza oven ($10,000), a conference room-sized booth ($7,250) and several individual soundproof phone booths, packs of high-end desk chairs ($4,900) and sit-stand desks ($900) and two stationary bikes that double as recharging stations ($2,400).
Overall, an eclectic assortment of goods and a jarring sight for those who once used them.
"Weird to see the Twitter office on auction," tweeted Kevin Weil, the company's former senior vice president of product. "Great memories from a different era."
Scott Budman, an NBC News tech and business reporter, pointed out some familiar items: A table where he interviewed former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey got a bid for $1,000, the espresso machine where former editorial director Karen Wickre offered him coffee is going for $1,700.
"Good luck, I guess," he wrote.
Ross Dove, chief executive of Heritage Global, the parent company of Heritage Global Partners, told the New York Times that more than 20,000 people had registered to bid online — the most of any of the firm's auctions over the last 90 years and a fact he attributes to the public's fascination with Twitter and Musk himself. He estimated that the auction would net Twitter some $1.5 million.
The auction comes at a tough time for the company, which lost many major advertisers — as well as employees, thanks to layoffs and mass resignations — after Elon Musk took over in October and has since sought to aggressively cut costs and raise revenue.
Musk — who has announced his plans to resign as CEO — said in December that the company was "not, like, in the fast lane to bankruptcy anymore."
Still, its financial outlook remains murky, with the New York Times reporting that same month that Twitter had not paid rent for its San Francisco headquarters or any global offices for weeks and was considering denying people severance payments. Employees have also discussed the possibility of selling usernames to make money, the Times reported last week.
This month, Guinness World Records confirmed that Musk had broken the record for largest amount of money lost by one individual. He lost between $180 billion and $200 billion since November 2021, largely due to the poor performance of Tesla stocks in recent years.
Musk remains the second-richest person in the world and, as of this week, is on trial for securities fraud over a series of 2018 tweets teasing a Tesla buyout that never happened.
veryGood! (8861)
Related
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Hiker left on Colorado mountain by coworkers stranded overnight in freezing rain, high winds
- Caroline Garcia blames 'unhealthy betting' for online abuse after US Open exit
- How Trump and Georgia’s Republican governor made peace, helped by allies anxious about the election
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- 'Incredibly dangerous men': These Yankees are a spectacle for fans to cherish
- Flint Gap Fire burns inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park; 10 acres burned so far
- 'Yellowstone' First Look Week: Rainmaker has plans, Rip Wheeler's family grows (photos)
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Judge allows bond for fired Florida deputy in fatal shooting of Black airman
Ranking
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- AP Week in Pictures
- Ford becomes latest high-profile American company to pump brakes on DEI
- No. 1 Jannick Sinner moves into the third round at the US Open, Hurkacz and Korda ousted
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Good Luck Charlie Star Mia Talerico Is All Grown Up in High School Sophomore Year Photo
- Julianne Hough Addresses Sexuality 5 Years After Coming Out as Not Straight
- Bold fantasy football predictions for 2024: Rashee Rice and other league-winning players
Recommendation
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Pilot declared emergency before plane crash that killed 3 members of The Nelons: NTSB
What Happened to Julianne Hough’s Dogs? Everything to Know About Lexi and Harley
Tom Brady may face Fox restrictions if he becomes Las Vegas Raiders part-owner, per report
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
You’ll Flip Over Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas' Meet Up With Caitlin Clark
Boar's Head plant linked to listeria outbreak had bugs, mold and mildew, inspectors say
Mama June Shannon Shares Heartbreaking Message on Late Daughter Anna Cardwell’s Birthday