It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, December 08, 2022
San Francisco building officials to investigate Twitter HQ for reported makeshift bedrooms
Story by Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY •
San Francisco city officials will investigate Twitter headquarters after makeshift bedrooms were reportedly installed in the building.
Forbes reported Twitter employees returned to the company's San Francisco location Monday to see new CEO Elon Musk installed "several" bedrooms on different floors with mattresses, drab curtains and giant conference-room telepresence monitors.
Since the report, the San Francisco Department of Buildings Inspection received a complaint about the headquarters.
"Several offices at Twitter have apparently been turned into motel rooms for workers to live in, contrary to code," the complaint reads, according to online records.
Patrick Hannan, communications director for the department, said in a statement to USA TODAY the department investigates all complaints and initiates its investigation within the next 72 hours with an on-site inspection.
"We need to make sure the building is being used as intended. There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those being used for short-term stays," Hannan said. "These codes make sure people are using spaces safely. Everyone in San Francisco deserves a safe place to live, work, play and sleep and no one is above the law."
Hannan added if investigators find the building does not meet code, they will issue a notice of violation.
The investigation comes weeks after Musk told Twitter employees they "will need to be extremely hardcore" and work long hours in a high-intensity environment if they wanted to continue to be part of the social media company.
On Nov. 1, Twitter product manager Esther Crawford shared a photo of what appeared to be her sleeping at the company's headquarters, tweeting, "When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork." Musk said in a now deleted tweet in November he would be sleeping at the Twitter headquarters "until the org is fixed," Insider previously reported.
Musk responded to the report of the building inspection on Twitter Tuesday, saying the city has incorrect priorities and "attacks companies providing beds for tired employees" while tagging San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
Elon Musk turns Twitter into 'hotel' for staff
Published
By James Clayton & Ben Derico
BBC News, San Francisco
The BBC has been given photos of Twitter office space that has been converted into bedrooms, which San Francisco authorities are probing as a possible building code violation.
One image shows a room with a double bed, including a wardrobe and slippers.
An ex-worker said new Twitter boss Elon Musk has been staying at the headquarters since he bought the firm.
He last month emailed all Twitter staff saying they "will need to be extremely hardcore" to succeed.
San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection has confirmed it is investigating potential violations following a complaint.
Mr Musk said the city was attacking companies for providing beds to "tired employees".
In a now-deleted tweet, Mr Musk posted that he would work and sleep in the office "until the org is fixed".
The BBC has also been given pictures of sofas at Twitter being used as beds.
Another conference room has an alarm clock, and a picture placed over a made-up bed.
Image caption,
Former staff say wardrobes have been moved into Twitter's HQ
"It looks like a hotel room," said one former worker. They went on to say that Mr Musk regularly sleeps at the Twitter HQ in San Francisco.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Last month Mr Musk - who completed his Twitter takeover in October - emailed all staff at the company saying they would need to work "long hours at high intensity".
"Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade," he wrote.
California state senator Scott Wiener told the BBC on Wednesday: "He's now making them [workers] sleep at Twitter.
"It's clear that he doesn't really care about people. He doesn't care about the people who work for him."
A Department of Building Inspection official told the BBC's US partner CBS News: 'We need to make sure the building is being used as intended."
Image caption,
Two sofas with bedding on them
In a reply to a journalist on Twitter, Mr Musk posted that the city should prioritise protecting children from the consequences of opioid drug misuse.
'Office armchairs'
Forbes broke the story of "sad little conference-room sleeping quarters at the company's recently depopulated headquarters", noting it was an apparent improvement on the improvised sleeping-bag-on-the-floor arrangement posted on Twitter by one employee.
The bedrooms, Bloomberg reported, are also said to accommodate staff from Tesla and other Musk-owned businesses brought in to work at Twitter, "some of whom travel to Twitter for work meetings", sources told the publication.
Department of Building Inspection official Patrick Hannan told the San Francisco Chronicle it investigated all complaints and there were different rules for residential buildings, even those used for short-term stays.
In May 2020, before Mr Musk's takeover, Twitter told employees they could work from home "forever" if they so wished because its remote-working measures during Covid lockdowns had been a success.
No comments:
Post a Comment