Elon Musk signals Twitter’s headquarters may not stay in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter might not keep its headquarters in San Francisco forever, its owner Elon Musk signaled Tuesday.

Speaking virtually at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit in London, Musk gave a noncommittal answer to an interviewer’s question about whether the company will stay in the California city.

San Francisco officials announced last week they are investigating Twitter after six former employees alleged that Musk’s team broke laws by turning the company’s headquarters into a “Twitter Hotel.” The idea was to create sleeping quarters for workers who were pushed to stay up late working on the social media platform after Musk fired or laid off nearly 80% of Twitter’s employee base.

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection said it will be conducting an investigation into the new allegations.

The former Twitter employees allege that Musk’s team ordered numerous changes to the company’s headquarters in a 1930s Art Deco building in downtown San Francisco that violated building codes. Those changes included disabling lights and adding locks that wouldn’t open during an emergency, according to the lawsuit.

In 2021, Musk moved the headquarters of Tesla, the electric car and solar panel company he runs, from California to Texas. The move followed a spat with Alameda County, California, health officials over reopening a Tesla factory at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.