Officials will be investigating claims billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk has converted some of the offices at the social media platform’s San Francisco headquarters into bedrooms.
BBC North America tech reporter James Clayton obtained and shared multiple images of rooms within Twitter HQ that have been converted into bedrooms. He said the publication was also told that Musk regularly sleeps at the building.
According to the photos, sofas had been turned into makeshift beds, with some rooms boasting wardrobes and even slippers.
One room even had a newly installed washing machine.
Speaking to Forbes, one employee who wished to remain anonymous said it was “not a good look”. Staff expressed irritation that there had been no prior discussion about the potential bedrooms until they appeared one day.
“It’s yet another unspoken sign of disrespect. There is no discussion. Just like, beds showed up,” they told the publication.
Author Mike Rothschild also took aim, calling it on Twitter: “Somewhere between a Scandinavian prison and a cult compound, the HQ.”
In response to the photos, San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection has made an investigation into complaints about Musk’s changes at the office building.
Department spokesman Patrick Hannan said in a statement that all buildings need to abide by existing rules, adding: “No one is above the law.”
Rules state that commercial buildings which don’t have the appropriate permits are not allowed to use the space for residential purposes.
As reported by the New York Post, Mr Hannan said it was a matter of safety.
“We need to make sure the building is being used as intended,” he said.
“There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those being used for short-term stays.
“Everyone in San Francisco deserves a safe place to live, work, play and sleep, and no one is above the law.”
In response to media and local government, Musk defended the act.
“So city of SF [San Francisco] attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl,” he tweeted.
“Where are your priorities?” he added, tagging Mayor of San Francisco London Breed.
Since buying Twitter for $US44 billion ($A66 billion), the billionaire has advocated a “hardcore” work culture.
In an email he sent to staff in November, he warned that “working long hours at high intensity” would be the norm. He also said that people who didn’t want to work to his standards could resign and receive three months of severance pay.
“Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore,” he wrote.
“Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.”
