San Francisco building inspectors to investigate bedrooms at Twitter HQ
San Francisco regulators are looking into what appears to be employee bedrooms newly installed at Twitter's headquarters.
As part of Elon Musk's overhaul of the social media company, the billionaire CEO had part of Twitter's offices outfitted with sleeping quarters, Forbes first reported this week.
Workers returning to the company's San Francisco hub were greeted by "modest" bedrooms furnished with mattresses, drab curtains and conference-room monitors, according to the financial media outlet. There are roughly four to eight sleeping rooms per floor, Forbes said, citing an unnamed employee who shared photos of the setup. Some of the rooms appear to have been used, the worker said.
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
Users of the social media platform flagged the San Francisco Department of Buildings Inspection, and the agency soon confirmed it's looking into the setup.
"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. These codes make sure people are using spaces safely," Patrick Hannan, the department's communications director, told CBS News in a statement.
The department plans to launch an investigation within 72 hours and will conduct a site inspection of the building, Hannan added. "Everyone in San Francisco deserves a safe place to live, work, play and sleep and no one is above the law," he said.
On Twitter, Musk mocked the city's response, calling it an example of misplaced priorities.
"So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities," he said in a tweet directed at Mayor London Breed.
So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?https://t.co/M7QJWP7u0N
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2022
Musk has moved quickly to revamp the company since he took control in October after buying Twitter for $44 billion, firing most of the staff and telling remaining employees they need to be "super hardcore" as he tries to make it profitable. The billionaire is known for his hard-charging style and working long hours, with Musk previously saying that he often slept at a Tesla production plant to meet deadlines.
Given that reality, installing bedrooms at Twitter "makes sense to an extent" because workers were "already putting in late nights" at the company, one employee told Forbes. However, another said the beds amount to "another unspoken sign of disrespect" from Musk, even though they looked "comfortable."