Given recent tragedies to take place in the United States, it was understandable that Twitch would ask its employees to work from home following repeated threats made against the company. The Amazon-owned platform, whose headquarters are in San Francisco, California, received the same threat on two separate days on social media, which prompted them to tell their employees not to come into the office on Wednesday, August 7th. Who did show up to Twitch HQ, however, were the local police to investigate the threats and ensure the safety of anyone who may be there.
Videos by ComicBook.com
We were made aware of a threat against our San Francisco HQ on Tuesday,” a Twitch rep told Business Insider. “And have been working directly with law enforcement as they investigate. The safety and security of our employees is our top priority, and we are focused on ensuring this is resolved quickly and safely.
According to SFPD public information officer Adam Lobsinger, the investigation that took place was able to determine that the threat received on August 7th was “identical to a threat received on yesterday’s date.” The message that was sent to Twitch on Wednesday was followed up by another that stated “The threat is real.” This, of course, prompted Twitch to suggest that their employees stayed at home while the police conducted their investigation.
By the time afternoon rolled around on the 7th, the SFPD was able to determine that there was not an “active threat” at the time, and that the investigation has been handed off to the SFPD’s special investigations department. Considering the tension that has been rising in the US recently, it is important for a company such as Twitch to take any threat such as these seriously as to not endanger any of their employees.
According to Lobsinger, the SFPD does not have a suspect at this time.
What do you think about all of this? Have you noticed the rise in threats against tech companies in recent years? Sound off in the comment section below, or feel free to hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7.