Musk plans to end free lunch at Twitter HQ, claims meals cost $13M a year

[SBFNews]

Musk plans to end free lunch at Twitter HQ, claims meals cost $13M a year​

By Devin Sean Martin
November 14, 2022 1:35pm

Twitter workers who survived the chopping block after Elon Musk overpaid for the social media site will soon have to pay for their own meals.

The billionaire said he will scrap the free meals served at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco because it was costing the company around $400 per worker.

Musk completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter last month and promptly fired about half of the 7,500-person workforce.

He also proceeded to mandate a return to the office and pointed to the lack of mouths to feed as driving up the cost of the free-lunch program.

Musk took to Twitter on Sunday to say that offering free meals at the company cafeteria had become unsustainable because “almost no one came to the office.”

He estimated the free meals cost the company around $13 million a year.

A Twitter employee who quit after Musk took over denied his claims hours later, saying the free meals cost the company no more than $25 per person per day.

“There are more people preparing breakfast than eating breakfast,” Musk said. “They don’t even bother serving dinner, because there is no one in the building.”Getty Images



“This is a lie. I ran this program up until a week ago when I resigned because I didn’t want to work for @elonmusk,” tweeted Tracy Hawkins, Twitter’s former vice president of work transformation.

“For breakfast & lunch we spent $20-$25 a day per person. This enabled employees to work thru lunchtime & mtgs. Attendance was anything from 20-50% in the offices.”

Musk fired back, saying the company’s records indicate office occupancy peaked at 25%, with an average of about 10%.

“There are more people preparing breakfast than eating breakfast,” Musk said. “They don’t even bother serving dinner, because there is no one in the building.”

 

[maxsanic]

One of the things I noticed is that people who are ranting against Musks's "inhumane" policies are mainly from three groups:

- Twitter ex-employees
- General employees of big companies especially those in the tech industry or have progressive HR policies
- HR professionals and people providing consultancy and advisory services on restructuring, culture, training, recruitment etc.

The first group is basically ranting on a personal level, so there's not much to be said.

However, what intrigued me was the second group. These people seem so emotionally invested in the entire Twitter exercise to the point of social activism even though technically what Elon Musk does has nothing to do with them got me interested as to why they are behaving this way.

Most if not all of them claim they are showing support to the terminated Twitter people because they empathize and care about these total strangers, but the world has no shortage of humans who are in far worse situation than losing a job or no more working at home and I see no social activism from them, so it cannot be simply altruism or virtue signaling. Having spoken to a few people who work in the tech industry, I am beginning to see this underlying fear that these people are afraid that Elon Musk has sort of stripped them naked for all to see.

For a long time, they have all been living a good life - so called progressive policies that provide numerous welfare including work from home, gourmet dinning, 360degree feedback, no performance appraisal, boss cannot scold can only coach etc. At the same time, there was little pressure in really delivering difficult KPIs like profitability and cashflow as the market didn't care, i.e. as long as you spin a good story, the stock price / private valuations go up and everyone is happy.

Musk is the first high profile CEO to put a stop to all this nonsense and inject some good old fashioned "boss is entitled to scold and/or fire any subordinate". He is also the first well-known shareholder to spell out to everyone that peons are here to make money for me, not me trying to cajole them to personally develop themselves into better people for the community. In summary these so called anti-Musk non-Twitter employees are scared shitless that this will start a new trend and their good old days in their own companies will be over, hence this extremely emotional and vitriol ranting against Musk.

The third group is easy to explain. If Musk gets away with what he is doing now and somehow Twitter turns out fine, all their jobs and consulting/training contracts will be affected. Musk would have inadvertently proved to everyone that these guys are simply peddling feel good bullshit that is of no business value.

 

[ODACHEK]

Wah...they not scared he shoot those who complain up to space by rockets?

 

[Patriotmissile]

Consultancy is 95% bullshit. Maybe 5% of real value which you can pick up from books. I got a friend with language major employed by Accenture to do what? To do email edits.

 

[rushifa666]

Knn 25 a day per person is ok? Woke idiots

 

[tobelightlight]

Elon is correct. You prepare the meals and that cost money.
That ex-employee thought that you pay when you get the food and eat it. They dun prepare when you are about to eat it, they prepare it due to the policy that is in place for it. And they prepare the meals for the 100% employee count of the company if i am correct.--whether they eat it or not.

 

[blackmondy]

We need more Elon Musks to fuck the woke crowd and big techs.

 

[Loofydralb]

I hope Google/meta catches on to what Elon has started.
Start firing, demand compliance and performance, cut benefits or you're out the door.
These CECAkroaches have been for too long, overrated and pampered.

 

[cowbellc]

Musk is correct to scrap off free meals.
Nobody appreciate free things or services, instead wrap envisage it's their entitled privilege.
Like Andre Michelin said:
“man only truly respects what he pays for”

 

[50000]

One of the things I noticed is that people who are ranting against Musks's "inhumane" policies are mainly from three groups:

- Twitter ex-employees
- General employees of big companies especially those in the tech industry or have progressive HR policies
- HR professionals and people providing consultancy and advisory services on restructuring, culture, training, recruitment etc.

The first group is basically ranting on a personal level, so there's not much to be said.

However, what intrigued me was the second group. These people seem so emotionally invested in the entire Twitter exercise to the point of social activism even though technically what Elon Musk does has nothing to do with them got me interested as to why they are behaving this way.

Most if not all of them claim they are showing support to the terminated Twitter people because they empathize and care about these total strangers, but the world has no shortage of humans who are in far worse situation than losing a job or no more working at home and I see no social activism from them, so it cannot be simply altruism or virtue signaling. Having spoken to a few people who work in the tech industry, I am beginning to see this underlying fear that these people are afraid that Elon Musk has sort of stripped them naked for all to see.

For a long time, they have all been living a good life - so called progressive policies that provide numerous welfare including work from home, gourmet dinning, 360degree feedback, no performance appraisal, boss cannot scold can only coach etc. At the same time, there was little pressure in really delivering difficult KPIs like profitability and cashflow as the market didn't care, i.e. as long as you spin a good story, the stock price / private valuations go up and everyone is happy.

Musk is the first high profile CEO to put a stop to all this nonsense and inject some good old fashioned "boss is entitled to scold and/or fire any subordinate". He is also the first well-known shareholder to spell out to everyone that peons are here to make money for me, not me trying to cajole them to personally develop themselves into better people for the community. In summary these so called anti-Musk non-Twitter employees are scared shitless that this will start a new trend and their good old days in their own companies will be over, hence this extremely emotional and vitriol ranting against Musk.

The third group is easy to explain. If Musk gets away with what he is doing now and somehow Twitter turns out fine, all their jobs and consulting/training contracts will be affected. Musk would have inadvertently proved to everyone that these guys are simply peddling feel good bullshit that is of no business value.

the 2nd group is just posturing to protect their own benefits. Once twitter gets moving again without all these benefits, the other tech cos will follow

 

[maxsanic]

the 2nd group is just posturing to protect their own benefits. Once twitter gets moving again without all these benefits, the other tech cos will follow

Yes indeed.. and it's not just benefits that they fear will be taken away but the entire organizational culture and social expectation of the employer-employee relationship that they have become accustomed to.

 

[blackmondy]

Wokies have too much of a good life doing nothing for way too long now kpkb when free meals are taken away from them.

 

[Pinkieslut]

Musk is the man waking these Jiakliaobees, there is no free lunch!

 

[rushifa666]

If people think its just twitter, no, a lot of these woketard companies all have free meals.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Last time got free makan because it was a tech experiment funded by VCs. Now under new management liao must behave like a real business.

Jiakliaobee ah nehs must go first

 

[syed putra]

Indian ceo was more humane. You get oId whether you come to eork or not. And food is there regardless. PAP should bring in more compassionate people like this.

 

[eatshitndie]

free meals because these tech companies want employees to stay within campus, continue meetings with little interruptions, and work longer hours. otherwise, employees going out for lunch can easily consume over 69 minutes just to queue at a restaurant. in sf, dining outside can be a 2-hr affair. in menlo park, at least 1.5 hr if campus is within walking distance from downtown. in mountain view, at least 2.5 hrs if employees have to drive from campus to castro street and find parking. moreover, limited number of eateries will not accommodate tens of thousands at one seating during peak hr. instead of “free” (no such thing as a free lunch as “free” cums with ulterior motives) perhaps subsidized meals is the better model like what apple is doing at its hq campus. 69% of price (not cost).

 

[oliverlee]

free meals because these tech companies want employees to stay within campus, continue meetings with little interruptions, and work longer hours. otherwise, employees going out for lunch can easily consume over 69 minutes just to queue at a restaurant. in sf, dining outside can be a 2-hr affair. in menlo park, at least 1.5 hr if campus is within walking distance from downtown. in mountain view, at least 2.5 hrs if employees have to drive from campus to castro street and find parking. moreover, limited number of eateries will not accommodate tens of thousands at one seating during peak hr. instead of “free” (no such thing as a free lunch as “free” cums with ulterior motives) perhaps subsidized meals are a better model like what apple is doing at its hq campus. 69% of price (not cost).

no dif from foxxconn

 

[worcer]

Means someone from twitter management level is over charging twitter and taking the extra or someone is taking free food outside to sell...

 

[winners]

I would say Musk is a sucker in this deal. With his tremendous wealth, he can easily set up another strong company to rival Twitter without having to spend that vast amount to buy over Twitter. Thereafter with this new rival company to Twitter, he can do exactly what he likes without any outside interference. However, his ego overtook him for having committed to Twitter and hence, today's outcome as well as the additional pain for him. Serves him right.