San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection said on Tuesday that it was investigating a complaint that Twitter had created makeshift bedrooms at its headquarters in the city, as new owner Elon Musk seeks to instil a “hardcore” culture at the social media company.
“We need to make sure the building is being used as intended,” Patrick Hannan, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email. “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.”
“No one is above the law,” he said.
The complaint – sent on Twitter to San Francisco’s 311 service – came after Forbes reported that multiple rooms in Twitter’s office were being converted into sleeping spaces, describing them as “modest bedrooms featuring unmade mattresses, drab curtains and giant conference-room telepresence monitors”.
Musk appeared to confirm the report, writing on Twitter: “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!?” He tagged San Francisco mayor London Breed (D), whose office did not respond to a request for comment.
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
Twitter, which gutted its communications team in a round of mass lay-offs after Musk took the helm, did not respond to a request for comment.
The apparent installation of bedrooms at Twitter’s headquarters comes after a product manager at the company shared a photo of her sleeping on the floor of what appeared to be a meeting room.
“When your team is pushing round-the-clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork,” she said in reference to the photo of her wrapped in a sleeping bag.
“We are reaching out to building representatives so we can conduct a site inspection as part of our investigation,” said the Department of Building Inspection’s Hannan. “If we find suite 900 no longer meets the building code, we’ll issue a notice of violation, which will be posted to our website and at the site, just like all notices of violation,” referring to Twitter’s headquarters at 1355 Market Street.
“San Francisco treats all complaints and property owners the same,” he said, noting that anyone with “additional information or photos that would assist our investigation” could send them to the department by email.
The Washington Post