Hundreds of pieces of Twitter memorabilia and office furniture went out the door Wednesday after an auction sold off statues, coffee makers and more from the company’s headquarters.
The San Francisco office gave potential buyers 27 hours this week to bid on over 600 lots — everything from office chairs, whiteboards, and high-tech beer dispensers to a 10-foot-tall neon sign of the company’s logo.
A few lucky bidders got deals on expensive appliances. A La Marzocco espresso machine went for less than half its retail price at $13,500. Pizza ovens, soundproof phone booths and conference tables made from reclaimed wood all made their way into the hands of savvy bidders.
Some of the more eclectic pieces from the auction netted Twitter some heavy cash. The neon sign of the blue Twitter bird sold for $40,000 and a 6-foot-tall @ symbol statue that doubles as a planter sold for $15,500, according to SFGate.
The biggest price tag was attached to the giant blue Twitter bird floor statue, selling for $100,000.
While the auction has been lumped in with other recent moneymaking strategies that newly minted CEO Elon Musk has tried over the past few months, a representative for auction house Heritage Global Partners, which ran the auction, told Fortune in December that it wasn’t the primary motivation.
“If anyone genuinely thinks that the revenue from selling a couple computers and chairs will pay for the mountain there, then they’re a moron,” the rep said.
According to Heritage Global’s chief executive, Ross Dove, over 20,000 people signed up for the auction, making it the most popular auction the company has had over the past 90 years. He also told The New York Times the auction is expected to net the company $1.5 million.
Massive layoffs and loss of advertising revenue have put Twitter in an unclear place financially. Along with policy changes unpopular with liberals and pleasing to conservatives, the climate caused Mr. Musk to promise to step down as CEO, though the exact date when he plans to do so has not been made public.
Mr. Musk has also publicly mocked those who cast doubt on the financial position of the company, saying in December that while the situation is shaky, expenses are “under control.”
