Inside The Twitter San Francisco Headquarters

Twitter headquarters sits in San Francisco's Civic Center neighborhood, on the mid-Market corridor — right near the Tenderloin, one of San ... SkiptomaincontentInsideTwitter’sFunandFunctionalSanFranciscoHeadquartersbyMaeRiceFebruary18,2020Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltInTwitter’sheadquartersandTwitter’splatformblurtogethersometimes.ExhibitA:InTheCommons,thedining-area-slash-all-hands-meeting-roominTwitterHQ,framedtweetshangonthewalls.Fittingly,theyalldescribeTwitter.“UsingTwitterislikedippingyourtoesintoanoceanofhumanbeings,”saysone.“Twitterisaunicorn-meattacowithinadream,”saysanother.Themessagesaregoofy,buttheyalsoreflectreality— Twitterishardtodescribe.Backinthelateaughts,whenthesocialmediaplatformwasfirstfounded,nooneknewwhattocallit.Newsitemsdescribeditas“theYoutubeof2007,” “afreecommunicationservice” that“takesinstantmessagingtoanextreme”anda“‘microblogging’communit[y].”(Yes,“microblogging”wasinscarequotes.)Now,though,Twitterneedsnoexplanation.Thegeneralpublicknowsatweetwhenitseesone.Thisisasignoftheplatform’sastronomicgrowthoverjustoveradecade— fromanideatoaplatformwithmorethan140milliondailyactiveusers.FindTopJobsinSanFranciscoSeeTechCompaniesHiringNowItalsojustmakessensethatthepublicunderstandsit.That’swhoit’sfor.Twitteris”aboutenablingpublicconversation,”accordingtoTracyHawkins,thecompany’sglobalheadofrealestateandworkplace.“That’swhywe’rehere.”Thatpublicconversationisn’ttypicallyaboutTwitter,either.Theplatformhasenableddiscussionaroundmajorsocialissueswithhashtagslike#BlackLivesMatter,#MeTooandmore.It’shelpedactivistsmobilizeagainstauthoritariangovernments.It’salsoafountainofanecdotes,memesandinsightsfromCher.“Twitterisamosaicofmadness,”athirdframedtweetinthediningareaopines.Likealltheothers,it’snotwrong.Sowhat’sitliketoworkatthehard-to-describeyeteasy-to-usesocialmediaplatform?WetouredTwitterHQtofindout.  TheLocationTwitterheadquarterssitsinSanFrancisco’sCivicCenterneighborhood,onthemid-Marketcorridor—rightneartheTenderloin,oneofSanFrancisco’slower-incomeneighborhoods.WhenTwittermovedin,backin2012,itwasthefirstmajorcompanyintheneighborhoodand“thisareawasverydepressed,”Hawkinssaid.ThroughTwitterforGood,thecompanygivesbacktotheareawithinitiativesliketheNeighborNest,acommunitycenterwithdigitalliteracyworkshops, adaycareandmore. Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltInThePeopleTwitter’sSanFranciscoheadquartershousesabout2,500employees,abouthalfofthemengineers.Therestspanallofthecompany’sfunctions,fromsalestoHRtorealestateandworkplace.However,Twitterembracesremotework too— onourtour,wepasscountlessvideoconferences.RelatedViewtheTop100SFTechCompaniestoWorkFor Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltInTheOfficeTwitterdoesn’thaveaglobaldesignstandard.Instead,eachofitsofficesisauniqueproductofitscity—thoughnotinanobviousway.“Wedon’tdothingslike‘HeylookatthispictureofGoldenGateBridge’toshowwe’reinSanFrancisco,”Hawkinssaid.“Wegoouttolocalarchitectsandlocalcompaniessowecangetfolkswhoreallyknowallthebestvendorsinthecommunity.”Thattranslatesintolocalaccentsthroughoutheadquarters,liketilingfromSausalitoandwoodsalvagedfromtheoldTransbayTerminal.EventhebuildingsshowcaseSanFrancisco’sarchitecturalhistory.Headquartersconsistsoftwowildlydifferentbuildingsfromtwodifferenteras:asquatart-decocubefromthe1920s,withfloorsthesizeofafullcityblock;andanewer,slimmerbuildingacrossthestreet,whichdatesbacktothe1970s.Afuturistic,window-linedskybridgeconnectsthetwo,anditmightbethemostlocaltouchofall.BecauseSanFranciscoisnotoriousforitsearthquakes,ittooklongerforTwittertogetpermitsforthebridgethanforeitheroffice’sbuildout.Thefinishedbridgecanwithstandmoderatequakes —it’sflexible,likeTwitter’sdesignstandards.Twitter’slogo,abluebird,doescropupthroughouttheofficeinsignsandstatuary,though, remindingvisitorsthatheadquartersispartofalargerentity.It’slarger,even,infact,thanthecityitself—Twitter’suserbaseismorethan100timesthepopulationofSanFrancisco.HerearesomehighlightsofourtourofTwitterHQ. Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltInTheArchitectsPlunkedanEntireMontanaLodgeintheCommonAreaOne commonareaatTwitterfeaturesaroomwithinaroom—or,morespecifically,alodgewithinalounge.ThestructureabovewasonceastandalonewoodenlodgeinMontana.Twitter’sarchitectsfounditonCraigslistandtransplanteditintotheoffice.Hawkinsemphasizedthatthelodgeismorethancool.It’salsoaspaceforcollaboration.“Wedon’tdothingslikeballpitsandslides,”sheexplained.“Wedofunthings,buteverythingisfunctional.” Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh./BuiltInTheChefsFlavorMealsWithUltra-LocalHerbsTwitterhasthreecafeteriasscatteredthroughoutitsoffice,servingfreegourmetlunches.Populardishesincludepizza,salad,freshfruitand—Hawkins’ favorite—rotisseriechicken.ThoughmanyTwitterconferenceroomsarenamedafterbirds,“it’snotlikewe’reaversetoeatingtheoddbirdhere,”shejoked.Theculinaryteamworkswithlocallysourcedingredientswheneverpossibletoo—includingherbssourcedfromacupboard-stylegardenrightinthecafeteria. Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltInHashtagsInspiredtheArtTwitteroftentranslateshashtagsintoartinstallations.Theneoncursivesign,picturedabove,whichreads#LoveWhereYouWork,commemoratesahashtagstartedbyabelovedearlyTwitteremployee.Otherinstallationspayhomagetohashtagslike#BlackLivesMatterand#LoveIsLove.“It’sabouttheusers,”Hawkinssaid.“It’saboutthebigmovementsonTwitter.”Thoughtheneonissimpleenough,someinstallationsgetquitecomplex.Therainbow-hued#LoveIsLovetapestry,forinstance—acelebrationofLGBTQpride—ismadeofPeruvianwoolstretchedaroundmorethan6,000nails,accordingtocreatorKnitsforLife. Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltInTheBlack-and-WhiteCoffeeShopServesSurpriseSnacksOnanoverhangaboveTheCommonssitsTwitter’scoffeeshop,#ThePerch.OnceaspaceHawkinsdescribedas“grayandold,”it’sbeenredesigned.Today,ithasablackceilingandwallscoveredinmuralsbyartistShantellMartin,inwhichfaces,hills andinspirationalmessagesfuseintoasurreal,line-drawnlandscape.Backwhentheteamwasconceptualizingthespace,Hawkinssaidshewantedittofeellike“acoolcafe”—andsohappeningenoughthatshecouldn’tgetaseatintheafternoon.Herwishcametrue.“Igenerallycan’t,whichissoannoying,”shejoked.That’sthankstothe baristas’deliciouscoffeeandoccasionalsurprisedeliveriesfromtheculinaryteam,likefreebrownies. Photo:TamerAbu-Dayyeh/BuiltinEmployeesCanSunbatheWhileTheyWorkTwitteremployeescanworkfrom theheadquarters’rooftopdeck,abreezyspacethat oftenhostscompanyevents—likearecentfamilyfriendlyyogaclassonBringYourKidstoWorkDay.Theoutdoorspaceisdottedwithcornholegearandlocalplantlife,especiallysucculentsand“thingsthatcanwithstandthelackofrain,”Hawkinssaid.(SanFranciscoispronetodroughts.)Twitterinstalledthedeckwhenitmovedintothebuilding,andit’sarealtestamenttotheirlandlord’sopen-mindedness.“Ourlandlordletuscuttheroofoff,”Hawkinssaid.RelatedViewtheTop100SFTechCompaniestoWorkForTwitterViewprofileFollowJobsatTwitterSanFranciscostartupguidesLOCALGUIDETopSoftwareEngineerJobsinSanFranciscoViewLOCALGUIDEBestCompaniestoWorkforinSanFranciscoViewLOCALGUIDEWomeninTech:SanFranciscoBayAreaViewLOCALGUIDEBestSalesJobsinSanFranciscoBayAreaViewSeeAllGuidesFindyourdreamjobDeveloperJobsView2523jobsDesign+UXJobsView301jobsMarketingJobsView426jobsProductJobsView437jobsSalesJobsView746jobsDataJobsView705jobsViewallSanFranciscojobs