“It’s clear that he doesn’t really care about people.”
Never Going Home
Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk is hellbent on turning the company’s San Francisco’s offices into a place where he and his “hardcore” employees can live around the clock as they attempt to turn the social media site into a functioning business.
Case in point, new images obtained by the BBC show pictures of conference rooms that have been converted into rudimentary hotel rooms. Other images show bed sheets covering sofas, indicating that “lots of staff have been sleeping at Twitter,” according to BBC tech reporter James Clayton.
“Musk has even installed a wardrobe,” Clayton added. “We’re told he regularly sleeps at Twitter.”
Other amenities include slippers and even a “newly installed washing machine,” according to Clayton — yet another sign of the fact that Musk has become practically synonymous with an unhealthy work-life balance.
Sleepless in San Francisco
It’s all part of Musk’s new vision of turning Twitter into a viable business, something that has clearly been proving difficult, considering the fact that the remaining staff are resorting to sleeping at the company’s offices.
Musk infamously set an ultimatum for remaining employees last month, forcing them to either chose to sign up for “long hours at high intensity,” or leave — a move that led to workers leaving in droves.
Turning Twitter’s offices into a depressing hostel could also land Musk in hot water with local authorities, since it’s a commercial building. According to Clayton, the city of San Francisco is already investigating. (Musk quickly shot back against the investigation, arguing that the city was unfairly targeting companies for caring for “tired employees.”)
Don’t Care
No matter which way you look at it, it’s a sad state of affairs. Overworked employees crashing at work only goes to show that there are very real personal costs involved in helping Musk realize his ambitious visions, no matter the outcome.
When you’re building a rocket, maybe there’s an excuse. But at a run-of-the-mill social media site, critics say Musk’s latest stunt clearly crosses a line.
“It’s clear that he doesn’t really care about people,” California state senator Scott Wiener told the BBC. “He doesn’t care about the people who work for him.”
READ MORE: Elon Musk turns Twitter into ‘hotel’ for staff [BBC]
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