Elon Musk has reportedly conjured a brilliant plan to disrupt the tech sector and keep his workers focused: cut janitorial services, and slowly unleash a motivational stench across the hallowed halls of Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters.

The San Francisco offices have been slashed from four floors to two and have been without janitorial services for nearly a month, according to a new story from the New York Times about Musk’s visionary tenure as Twitter CEO.

The janitors in question went on strike in early December requesting better wages, and Musk responded by getting rid of them altogether. As a result, according to the New York Times, “The office [is] into disarray. With people packed into more confined spaces, the smell of leftover takeout food and body odor has lingered on the floors, according to four current and former employees. Bathrooms have grown dirty, these people said.”

The remaining workers are reportedly bringing in their own toilet paper, too, an act of insubordination that does not align with Musk’s apparent vision for a stinky smelly workplace. The Times story notes that Musk’s anti-hygiene stance has wafted to New York; he reportedly cut janitorial services at that Twitter office as well.

Musk’s fetid directive comes after a series of other cost-cutting maneuvers, including Twitter reportedly no longer paying rent at its San Francisco headquarters. Workers have allegedly been asked to spend long hours and sleep at the offices, which triggered a still-open investigation by the city’s Department of Building Inspection.

One could argue these measures are deeply anti-worker and unlikely to seriously alleviate Twitter’s growing debt; others — all of whom just happen to pay $8 a month for Twitter Blue — might counter that Musk is actually engaging in a rent strike and providing more housing opportunities in downtown San Francisco, both of which are heroic displays of solidarity alongside tenants rights advocates.

On Friday morning, Musk posted a cryptic meme on Twitter: “What if I told you the only way to escape the Matrix is ​​to unlearn everything that you have been taught and rebuild your entire belief system based on critical thought and analysis.”

Do bathroom breaks exist outside the Matrix? Sounds like Twitter employees will find out soon.

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After a particularly rocky week for tech companies diving their San Francisco real estate, at least one is reportedly bucking the trend and expanding its office space.

Asana, co-founded by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, is subleasing office space at 680 Folsom Street in SoMa. It’s taking over space that was previously home to Macy’s San Francisco offices, according to the Business Times. The New York retailer shuttered its offices in the city in 2020.

In 2019, Asana moved its headquarters to 633 Folsom Street, snagging a nearly 266,000-square-foot lease.

With this expansion, the productivity company is investing in city real estate during a particularly troublesome time for the tech industry at large. Meta reported troubling numbers Wednesday, including a decline in annual revenue for the first time since the company went public, while both Alphabet and Microsoft announced misses on both earnings and revenue estimates.

And due to a confluence of economic headwinds and the popularity of hybrid work, companies are increasingly abandoning their office space in the pricey San Francisco Bay Area market. This week, Twitter reduced its footprint in San Francisco and abandoned its plans to expand into Oakland, while Etsy will close its San Francisco offices for good come September due to low “employee office utilization.”

They follow Block, Salesforce and PayPal, which cut down or outright closed its San Francisco offices earlier this year.

Editor’s note: This story was amended on Aug. 2, 2:30 pm to accurately reflect where Asana’s new offices are located.

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A Caltrain caught fire after striking a vehicle in San Bruno, Calif. on March 10, 2022.

Jesse Miller / Twitter @texosporium

A Caltrain caught fire after striking a vehicle in San Bruno on Thursday morning, according to the transit agency, sending the vehicle’s driver to the hospital and injuring at least 13 people.

Southbound train no. 506, heading from San Francisco to San Jose, struck a vehicle that Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman described as “on-track equipment” at 10:38 am in the area of ​​Scott Street. The train was evacuated shortly after.

KGO reported 13 total injuries: one severe injury, five moderate injuries and seven minor injuries.

Use freely @mayaashleyyy pic.twitter.com/PXqidapoyw

— Michael Marlin (@mikemarlinc) March 10, 2022

The driver of the vehicle was taken to a hospital and an update on their condition was not immediately available.

A Caltrain caught fire after striking a vehicle in San Bruno, Calif. on March 10, 2022.

Jesse Miller / Twitter @texosporium

Fire crews responded and extinguished the fire, but trains were being held in both directions as of about 11:30 am because of the emergency response.

SFGATE assistant news editor Joshua Bote contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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A San Francisco police officer died Saturday of complications from COVID-19, multiple media outlets reported.

Officer Jack Nyce, 47, worked for the police department for more than 17 years. He was most recently assigned to Park Station, SF Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement.

Scott didn’t comment on the cause of death, but his wife, Melissa Nyce, told the Stockton Record that he tested positive for coronavirus on November 2 and later went to the hospital with complications from the virus. He died in a Kaiser hospital in Manteca, where he and his wife lived.

“Nyce was among 41 officers who were furloughed for failing to meet the city’s Nov. 1 immunization deadline,” NBC Bay Area reported.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association honored Nyce in a statement.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Jack’s wife, family and friends,” said Tony Montoya, president of the association. “This is a sad time for our department. Jack leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. Rest in peace, Officer Nyce.”

SFPD said it will share more information about plans for Nyce’s memorial as it becomes available. “In the meantime, please keep Jack, his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” Scott said.

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On Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys host the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild card matchup and it could be Mike McCarthy’s last game as Cowboys head coach.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could decide to fire McCarthy if the Cowboys lose and replace him with OC Kellen Moore, according to a report by Jason La Canfora.

From CBS Sports:

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could consider a coaching change if the team underperforms this season, league sources said, with his two top assistants to head coach Mike McCarthy raising serious interest as head coaches at other teams . Multiple sources who know Jones well said that a loss in the wild card round would prompt Jones to at least consider the team’s direction as coordinators Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore prepare for numerous head coaching interviews.

“If this season doesn’t end the way Jerry wants it to, don’t be surprised if much sooner or later, Kellen Moore becomes her next head coach,” said a source who knows Jones well. “He doesn’t want to lose him.”

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Elon Musk appears to be keeping his promise to “not own a house”.

Last year, SpaceX’s CEO tweeted that he was selling all of his real estate to dump “almost all of his physical possessions”. By the end of the year, he had given up four of his Bel Air residences for a combined total of $ 62 million. Now, Musk is reportedly on the verge of ditching the last lot in his portfolio: a San Francisco area mansion that was last listed for $ 32 million.

One of the living areas

Photo: Bernard André

Musk originally listed the 16,000-square-foot home for $ 35 million last year, a number that would make a significant profit since he originally paid $ 23.3 million for the house, according to real estate records. It was in the months following his initial announcement that it would give up all of its own assets, in and out of the market.

A floor

Photo: Bernard André

The historic residence was originally built around 1912; It was designed by the architectural firm Bliss & Faville. It has since been renovated to meet modern standards – the grand ballroom, dining room, and kitchens have all been redesigned.

The dining room

Photo: Bernard André

It is a total of seven beds, seven baths on a spacious 47 acre lot. In the dining area there is a “hidden” cocktail room, which is accessible via a retractable wall made of library shelves. Other perks include wine and whiskey cellars in the basement, as well as a separate room for flower arrangements. The master suite, on the other hand, has its own fireplace, two walk-in wardrobes and two full bathrooms – one of which has a free-standing bathtub. Outside there is a pool and gazebo for entertainment and a separate three-car garage.

The house combines living inside and outside

Photo: Bernard André

The property is currently on a conditional offer, meaning Musk has accepted a buyer’s initial proposal, according to the New York Post. All in all, there is still a chance the deal will fail, in which case the billionaire’s last major piece of land would still be up for grabs.

The living room

Photo: Bernard André

Where does Musk live now? He tweeted in June that he currently lives in Boca Chica, near the SpaceX campus, in about $ 50,000 worth of rented apartment. Talk about living below your means.

See more photos of the San Francisco area residence below:

One of the bedrooms

Photo: Bernard André

One of the primary bathrooms

Photo: Bernard André

The walk-in closet

Photo: Bernard André

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The residents packing up and leaving San Francisco was an important story through 2020.

The combination of numerous unprecedented factors collided in the spring, creating a historic shift in the city: the astronomical cost of living, the pandemic allure of remote work, and the closings of many places that made San Francisco so great. A report from Zillow in August confirmed the SF exodus is real.

Then came the summer forest fires that devastated the state. The result has been an increase in people fleeing not only the Bay Area but California as well.

One industry that is booming as a result is the moving business, and when businesses are booming, opportunists and scammers move in.

A new report from The Guardian shows that the California industry is now riddled with problems ranging from price gouging to stolen property to unlicensed, uninsured moving companies taking advantage of record demand.

Operating a moving company in California requires a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration license, which is acquired by filing an application, passing a test, a background check, and paying a $ 500 application fee. Unlicensed moving companies that offer low prices on Craigslist and other classified websites leave customers with lost, damaged, and stolen items hooked with moving companies that are unlicensed, let alone liability insurance.

Customers have also reportedly “taken hostage” of their belongings by fraudulent operators.

The Washington Post reported that scammers target people across the country by demanding more cash upfront, putting the loaded, normally unmarked truck on the road, and then calling the customer to ask for another payment to have their goods returned demand.

A recent report by the Better Business Bureau found that nine out of 33 refugees currently wanted for moving fraud are in and around San Jose. The report found that scammers frequently change their name, business name, and location to circumvent the law.

Even in the legitimate part of the industry, Californians face a lack of rental vehicle availability and sky-high prices compared to other parts of the country. U-Haul, the car rental company with the largest fleet in the US, bases its rates on demand and the imbalances between locations. A quick look at their online prices on Tuesday reveals that a 10-foot truck rental from Boise to San Francisco will cost you $ 257, but going in the opposite direction will set you back $ 1,603, more than six times more.

The low prices offered by unlicensed moving companies make it difficult for legitimate companies too.

Chris Mayer of the family business Macy’s Movers in Hayward told The Guardian that it had been a stressful year. “It’s terrible. Customers call us crying,” said Mayer. “They’re scared. There are moving helpers who did not show up. There are moving companies that won’t call you back. You can’t even find U-Haul trucks. I’ve never experienced such a panic in my life. “

Move.org lists the biggest red flags that could mean a moving company is cheating on you, including pricing in cubic feet to weight and having customers sign a contract before doing a home appraisal.

The full Guardian story can be found here.

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MARK HOFFMAN / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wanted to end this off-season, and when the franchise was ready to honor his trade request, there was one goal he preferred the most.

The riot between the Packers’ front office and Rodgers became public shortly before the 2021 NFL Draft. It was revealed that the reigning NFL MVP was requesting a trade and the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay’s third week opponent, were looking for a deal.

It turned out that the request from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan created tension between the two teams. Green Bay’s head coach Matt LaFleur took issue with the suggestion that Rodgers could be traded, and Shanahan’s phone call apparently caused some tension between the two friends.

But according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there’s a reason Shanahan made that call. Rodgers reportedly considered the 49ers his first choice for a trade, and San Francisco inquired because it learned that the future Hall of Fame quarterback really wanted to play for the team he grew up with.

It’s understandable why Rodgers targeted the 49ers as his best target. Shanahan’s offense is extremely quarterback-friendly, which allows Jimmy Garoppolo to be extremely successful. Behind a great offensive line with guns around him, Rodgers might have made San Francisco the team to beat the NFC.

But the 49ers didn’t have time to wait. When LaFleur made it clear that Rodgers was not moving, Shanahan moved on with his plans. San Francisco selected Trey Lance with the number 3 and set up the franchise for an exciting future with a dual threat quarterback.

As for Rodgers, he’s worked things out with the Packers for the 2021 season. But with his fate likely decided in 2022 and the 49ers off the table, the Denver Broncos stand out as the most likely landing spot for the all-pro quarterback next year.

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Authorities say the Kerr County man they suspect killed his wife and son early Friday, then pointed the gun at himself, then went to a neighbor’s house and asked for forgiveness.

Mark Cormier, 54, was still conscious when rescue workers arrived at Shalako subdivision, but reluctant to immediately reveal what sparked the shooting in which Candace “Candy” Cormier and the couple’s adopted son, Jeremiah, 10, were dead were.

“He told me he wanted to speak to me, but he wanted to go to the hospital before he told us exactly what happened,” recalled Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer on Tuesday. “Unfortunately he had a massive heart attack during the trip and has not been available since then.”

Cormier, who owned a chimney sweep business, remained in critical condition at the San Antonio Military Medical Center on Tuesday, said Hierholzer, who has not filed a criminal complaint against him.

“You are not sure if he will survive at all,” he said.

Fourteen shots were fired during the pre-dawn incident on Goat Creek Road that killed Candy Cormier, a real estate agent, dead on her bedroom floor and Jeremiah in his bed.

“Unfortunately, the boy was badly hit on the head, probably before he was shot,” said Hierholzer, calling the incident “extremely tragic”.

He said he was not aware of any triggering incident or previous domestic violence in the home.

When Mark Cormier “went to a neighbor’s house, he asked her forgiveness for what he had done,” said the sheriff.

Justice of the peace Bill Ragsdale said Tuesday he was still awaiting the results of the autopsies of the victims, who are scheduled to have a memorial service scheduled on Wednesday.

Their joint obituary said Jeremiah excelled academically at Ingram Elementary School, enjoying basketball, wrestling, hunting, and fishing.

Candy Cormier, a member of the Kerrville Morning Rotary Club and a board member of Kerrville’s Christian Women’s Job Corps, quickly developed a strong bond with Jeremiah after his adoption.

“Candy and Jeremiah were loved by all whose lives they touched and were inseparable even in death,” the obituary reads.

A member of Candy Cormier’s family declined to comment on Tuesday.

zeke@express-news.net

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The Detroit Pistons could try to trade from # 1 in the upcoming NBA draft, said ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. (h / t CBS Sports.)

According to Givony, the Pistons may be trying to step out of the coveted # 1 slot and that the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder are potential candidates looking to raise the pecking order.

Houston and Cleveland are the most likely candidates as they are currently numbered 2 and 3. The Rockets also have a lot to offer in exchange for a trade-up, CBS points out, as they took control of the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round picks through 2027 as part of the James Harden deal in January.

But the final decision rests with Detroit, who could move the order down and potentially still draft the best prospect of their choosing – be it superstar point guard Cade Cunningham or someone else.

The 2021 NBA draft starts on Thursday, July 29th.

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