Twitter building projection displayed anti-Elon Musk messages

Elon Musk got off to a rough start after taking over as Twitter’s new boss on October 28. Last week, after allegedly sending a memo to employees advising them to “toughen up.” or quit with a three-month severance, employees began tweeting using the hashtag # #lovewhereyouworked to announce their departure from the tech company.

You can see some of those tweets here, here and here.

Musk’s claim drew public criticism on and off the internet. A video posted on November 17 with millions of views shows anti-Mussk messages projected on Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco.

Many on social media have questioned whether this really happened or if the video was edited.

Is the video showing the anti-Musk message real?

Yes, the video is real. The messages were shown outside Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters on November 17.

Alan Marling is a forecast activist who aired the messages outside Twitter’s headquarters on Thursday, November 17.

“Projection activism is a silent, nonviolent protest that allows everyone to engage with it as little or as much as they want. Legally, it’s like holding up a big sign made of light,” Marling told VERIFY in an email.

“Musk seems to have no concept of free speech. Or he knows what it is but is triggering people. Either way, I want to clear up misinformation,” he added.

Marling posted several images from Twitter’s headquarters to her Instagram page on Thursday night. Marling told VERIFY the messages protesting Musk’s purchase of Twitter and his businesses, among other things. He also said that he had never worked at Twitter.

Other videos posted to social media show scenes outside Twitter’s headquarters. This videofor example, from NBC Bay Area reporter Gia Vang shows scrolling text displayed on the building. This video from another NBC Bay Area reporter shows large crowds outside the building.

VERIFY confirms the building is Twitter’s headquarters using Google Maps:

Thursday wasn’t the first time Marling used projection to broadcast messages outside of Twitter’s office. On November 11, he posted a photo on Instagram from the same building with the message “evidence that Elon is an idiot” with an arrow pointing to the Twitter sign.

Here’s another Marling post with Twitter’s building predictions from November 9, and another from October 26.

VERIFY contacted Twitter and Elon Musk for comment.