It looks like Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR) wants to give its employees some respite from our world’s hustle and bustle by purchasing two 19th century log cabins, from Montana, to use as their employee cafeteria.
The look is in stark contrast to San Francisco’s mix of modern and old world architecture. Olle Lundberg, the architect Twitter contracted for the project, responded to inquiries by stating that Twitter uses birds for its logo and log cabins are the natural habitat of birds.
This is just one of several bay area tech companies to think outside the box when it comes to employee perks. For example, Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) offers a bowling alley, walking trail and free food for its employees, among other benefits.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) has a video arcade and an on-site bike repair shop. GitHub has a reception area designed to look like the oval office. In addition, Apple Inc. will look like a spaceship. Not to mention, AirBnB has an office space that looks like some of AirBnB’s favorite listings.
Since Twitter has not yet made a profit and growth is questionable, investors wonder about the motivations behind these recent employee perk purchases. Also, some of these tech companies have sparked protests in what might be seen as a battle between the “haves” and the “have nots” of the bay area.
However, Twitter and other tech companies appear to be engaged in a competition over which company offers the most outrageous and fun perks. They all have the aim to hire the best and the brightest in the world. Furthermore, they want their staff to stay productive and remain with the company. For that to happen, it takes a mix of salary, benefits and workplace satisfaction.
