Author Topic: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle  (Read 1847 times)

Balog

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Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« on: September 18, 2014, 12:06:59 PM »
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/11089188/Google-staff-shun-homes-and-live-in-car-park.html

Sleeping in your car sounds much less dire when you have hot catered meals x3 a day, lavish gym/shower facilities a short walk away, and free haircuts/masseuses. Quite a smart move actually, especially considering cost of housing in the area.
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Ben

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2014, 02:13:08 PM »
I just read a story the other day where they featured one of the employees living in a trailer in the Google parking lot. He had a white picket fence and everything. As the above story suggests, all he needed was a place to sleep since Google provided most everything else. His home was actually in Hawaii, and he did the trailer thing because he couldn't afford paying the mortgage and Silicon Valley rent. Apparently a lot of Google employees do short stints, like 1-3 years, versus putting in a full career. But I think that's almost standard for the millennial IT worker culture.
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K Frame

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2014, 02:50:44 PM »
He's mentioned in that article, Ben.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2014, 03:04:31 PM »
I wouldn't call it being "Homeless".  They aren't sleeping on the street, have daily access to food, shelter, clean clothes, etc.  They are simply reducing their living expenses by living in a vehicle in the parking lot at the company they work for.  Even the guy who slept in the "nap pods" (whatever in the hell they are) every night.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2014, 03:24:30 PM »
Yea it's not new. I lived in a vw camper and used the showers on base at the pool when I was a teen.


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KD5NRH

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2014, 03:42:04 PM »
Sleeping in your car sounds much less dire when you have hot catered meals x3 a day, lavish gym/shower facilities a short walk away, and free haircuts/masseuses. Quite a smart move actually, especially considering cost of housing in the area.

And I'd bet their WiFi reaches the parking lot.  A camper van or similar would be pretty comfy with all their little perks.  (Assuming stuff like the toilets, showers and gym are accessible all night.)  If you can park reasonably close, you might even be able to discreetly run an extension cord so you could use regular 120VAC for a desktop PC, space heater, etc. on their dime.

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2014, 06:07:58 PM »
For years while logging I lived in a camper trailer in the woods.  I never considered myself homeless.

But I never had wi-fi  ;/
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KD5NRH

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2014, 06:25:56 PM »
Frankly, the only thing I would think would be lacking would be closet space.  I would imagine they have some sort of laundry and/or dry cleaning facilities onsite, so if there are lockers available big enough to hold, say, 5 suits and another foot or two of hanger rod, plus 7 pairs of socks and undies, all you really need from the vehicle is a weatherproof sleeping space.  A truck with a rigid tonneau cover and a futon mattress would work great.  A van or camper would give you some private sitting space, though.  A proper camper could even be enough to bring a date "home" to, or for a young couple with no plans to have kids right away.  Dropping $500-1500/mo into a savings account instead of an efficiency apartment and bills would get the house fund going quick, especially if you're just planning to work there for a couple years and then move to a lower cost-of-living area.  Say, 3 years at $1500/mo, then move to an area like here, where that $54,000 would buy a 20-year-old-but-well-maintained 3/2 outright.

Of course, then you have the other savings; dish detergent, toilet paper, soap, cable and anything else they take care of for you.  No furniture needed.  No artwork.  No burning gas for a commute.  Even if you weren't one of the higher-paid folks, $3-4000 a month in savings shouldn't be that hard.  In three years, you'd have well over $100k in the bank to go make a few good income-generating investments and start planning an early retirement as you continue the low-cost, solid income route until your investments produce a livable salary.

Or you can do like most people do when they have savings like that; spend it on hookers and blow, (bar beer and truck chrome around here) and end up on welfare after the next layoff.

Only real annoyance I can see would be doing the "camp shuffle" first thing every morning to get from the car to the shower.  Easily worth it for the potential benefits.

Balog

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2014, 08:10:49 PM »
Rents are far north of $3000/month for even the most spartan apartment in that area. I guarantee the folks doing this are making north of six figures. Aside from entertainment (and the work life balance is such you don't have a lot of time for that) you have essentially zero expenses. Couple years of $150,000 salary and maybe $10-20,000 in total expenses, that adds up nicely.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2014, 08:57:36 PM »
I knew a guy who worked for GM, who at times lived in the parking lot of the plant in a camper, and worked 18 to 20 hours a day. He brought in North of 100,000 a year and was actually a millionaire.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2014, 11:17:23 PM »
Apparently a lot of Google employees do short stints, like 1-3 years, versus putting in a full career. But I think that's almost standard for the millennial IT worker culture.

At one of our company meetings back when I was in IT (this would be 2009) the owner/president said that standard turnover rate in the industry was 18 months.  I have no reason to doubt him, it was his job to study that stuff.

It's not a millennial thing.  It's just how the industry works.  If you're good you get "promoted" when you get a new job offer.

You have to work for a company that really values its employees and pays them extra either in money or benefits to hold them.  And, unfortunately for Google, "I did X at Google" on your resume is actually impressive and might lead to even better things.

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2014, 12:17:49 AM »
I could do that; a van (especially a VW camper) would not be that bad.  But I'm old enough (both the aches and pains thing, and I have accumulated a pretty big nest egg) I wouldn't do it unless it was an emergency.  30 years ago I sure woulda.

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You have to work for a company that really values its employees and pays them extra either in money or benefits to hold them.  And, unfortunately for Google, "I did X at Google" on your resume is actually impressive and might lead to even better things.

Some big tech companies  (I'm thinking of one in particular, not Google) despise their workers and seek out ways to screw them while at the same time expecting the employees to be "loyal".   I really don't think they will be in business in 10 years.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2014, 12:33:55 AM »
Some big tech companies  (I'm thinking of one in particular, not Google) despise their workers and seek out ways to screw them while at the same time expecting the employees to be "loyal".   I really don't think they will be in business in 10 years.

Yeah, Oracle probably won't be around in 10 years.

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2014, 02:10:52 PM »
...Only real annoyance I can see would be doing the "camp shuffle" first thing every morning to get from the car to the shower.  Easily worth it for the potential benefits.

Also not being able to step out and pee off the porch when somebody's on the pot.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2014, 02:26:39 PM »
Also not being able to step out and pee off the porch when somebody's on the pot.

Can't do that as it is; the porch is in full view from the side street and the apartment complex across that street.

Balog

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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #15 on: September 19, 2014, 03:06:18 PM »
Also not being able to step out and pee off the porch when somebody's on the pot.

Probably not a lot of nice apartment complexes in rich neighborhoods where that's an option either...
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #16 on: September 23, 2014, 06:50:25 PM »
Yeah, Oracle probably won't be around in 10 years.

Interesting. 

My middle son works for a company that got Borged by Oracle (per him "assimilated" was part of the announcement verbiage).  He's not especially happy with his work right now.
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Re: Google staff choosing the homeless lifestyle
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2014, 03:44:00 AM »
Interesting. 

My middle son works for a company that got Borged by Oracle (per him "assimilated" was part of the announcement verbiage).  He's not especially happy with his work right now.

I think Oracle's code will still be around, the database products certainly.  There's still too many applications that use it.  The company itself?  That's a bigger question.