San Francisco officials are investigating complaint It claims that Twitter has illegally converted part of its headquarters into a bedroom.
It was a complaint applied to the city’s 311 service by one user on the social media network, after Forbes reported that some conference rooms had been turned into “modest bedrooms with unmade mattresses, shabby curtains and giant conference room telepresence monitors”.
Unnamed Twitter employees told Forbes that 1355 Market St. approximately four to eight bedrooms are installed on each floor in the building. The Chronicle could not independently verify the allegations. City documents show that there have been no applications for residential use of any part of the building.
Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed the company was installing beds and criticized Mayor London Breed for scrutinizing the company rather than focusing on the city’s drug crisis.
“So instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl, the city of SF is attacking companies that provide beds for tired workers. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?” Musk Posted on Twitter, Linked to a Chronicle story about a 10-month-old baby’s reported fentanyl overdose.
The city’s Department of Building Inspections is working to inspect the site for potential violations and has reached out to the building manager for additional information.
“We investigate all complaints. We must make sure that the building is used for its intended purpose. There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those used for short-term occupancy. These codes ensure that people can use the spaces safely,” said Patrick Hannan, a spokesman for the Department of Building Inspection.
If building code violations are found, the agency will notify the public of the violation.
After Musk bought Twitter, some employees openly said they were sleeping in the office amid high work demands.
Last month, Esther Crawford was director of product management at Twitter taken in a sleeping bag and wore an eye mask in what appeared to be a conference room.
Playing on the #LoveWhereYouWork hashtag, she tweeted: “When your team squeezes around the clock to meet deadlines, sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork.”
Musk himself said in a now-deleted tweet that he would work and sleep at the headquarters “until the organ is fixed.”
Twitter, which fired its communications team, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shorenstein, who owns 1355 Market St. with JPMorgan Chase, declined to comment.
A 2011 lease agreement with the Shorenstein organization, which Twitter filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, states that a landlord may “reasonably retain consent” to Twitter who wants to sublease its space to a “social, welfare or clinical care facility.” health services or accommodation (temporary, day or night). The lease doesn’t mean Twitter itself can run the dorms.
1355 Market St. the building is in the Downtown General Commercial zoning district, which allows for high-density office, hotel, entertainment and residential uses.
In April, Musk tweeted a poll criticizing the company’s telecommuting policy, which he later deleted, titled “Turn Twitter SF HQ into a homeless shelter because nobody shows up anyway.” Dan Sider, chief of staff at the Department of City Planning, told Bloomberg CityLab at the time that “regulatory-wise, it would be fairly straightforward to turn this building into a homeless shelter.”
Separately, California Federation of Labor said on Tuesday Twitter has terminated its contract with union cleaners a day after they staged a strike and picket outside its headquarters. Laid-off Twitter employees are also seeking arbitration over allegations that the company failed to provide promised severance packages and provide legally required severance notices.
Roland Lee is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf