San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection said Dec. 6 it was launching an investigation into reports that Twitter converted several of its office spaces into bedrooms. Meanwhile, janitors are picketing this week after the company terminated their contract.
The incidents add to a growing list of concerns about the social media company’s treatment of employees. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter last month, he’s directed managers to lay off half the workforce, and given remaining employees an ultimatum to commit to an “extremely hardcore” workload or leave, resulting in more staff departures. The site is $13 billion in debt due to Musk’s heavily leveraged buyout, and is facing several lawsuits from employees who claim the company fired workers without giving proper notice, discriminated against workers with disabilities through its return-to-office policy, and hasn’t paid workers the severance they were promised before the acquisition.
Janitors told a local NBC affiliate on Nov. 5 they found themselves locked out of the building, with no prior warning the company was terminating their contract. The workers, who are represented by the Service Employees International Union, plan to picket outside of Twitter’s headquarters until their contract ends Dec. 9.
Musk appeared to confirm reports that Twitter set up bedrooms for employees in its headquarters, and accused San Francisco of attacking companies for “providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl,” referring to an accidental fentanyl overdose recently reported on a playground.
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
Bloomberg reported the bedrooms may be for employees Musk brought over to Twitter from his other companies, Tesla and the Boring company, for the transition.