Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

sfstandard.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 169 posts

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#51

Post by ianm218 »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #10
htrp wrote: post #4

>Donovan alleges that employees of the Bot Company(opens in new tab) rented his home “under false pretenses” to conduct prototype testing on robots they’re training to do household chores. >A refrigerator shelf was cracked, and a broken glass or dish had been left in the garbage disposal. A wooden nightstand drawer was chipped. Cups and plates were in the wrong places. It looked like the furniture had been moved arou…

It's exactly this ethos, the "move fast and break things", and oh, we don't give a fuck about who/what we damage in the process - careless people indeed. I am someone who came of age during an incredibly hopeful time about how technology could be a force for good. The silicon valley ethos at present is totally morally bankrupt and rotten to the core.

It sounds like they cost a couple hundred dollars in damages I’m not sure it damns a whole generation

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#52

Post by DrewADesign »

marcus_holmes wrote: post #42
DrewADesign wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody in this startup landscape gives a shit about anybody or anything that isn’t, at that very moment, contributing to their product development, market share, or raising capital. Even then, they only give a shit if they can’t avoid it and still get what they want. The second they are no longer useful, they’re thrown out like a bag of moldy tangerines. Morally bankrupt “leaders” employing people too inexperienced t…

This is the product of "rugged individualism" so prized of Reagan/Thatcher politics. Thatcher meant exactly this when she said "there's no such thing as society". I've got mine, you can all go f*ck yourselves. We need to get back to a place where other people matter, where the implicit social contract is honoured by everyone, and there are consequences for breaking it.

I was watching some midcentury American Prelinger (sp?) archive video where some dapper and devastatingly square professor extolled the virtues of capitalism. Nearly point-for-point, his rationale for capitalism being fair and egalitarian was dismantled starting in the 80s.

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#53

Post by jojobas »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #37
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #26

The only way to stop this is for charges to be brought against the employees who made the bookings under false pretenses.

Why the employees? Do you think they were operating without direction from their managers? If we want to put a stop to this sort of behavior from businesses we can't be punishing employees for this behavior, we have to run it up the chain.

What, superior orders? Of course we need to punish both.

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#54

Post by randycupertino »

htrp wrote: post #4

>Donovan alleges that employees of the Bot Company(opens in new tab) rented his home “under false pretenses” to conduct prototype testing on robots they’re training to do household chores. >A refrigerator shelf was cracked, and a broken glass or dish had been left in the garbage disposal. A wooden nightstand drawer was chipped. Cups and plates were in the wrong places. It looked like the furniture had been moved arou…

The irony is the company is trying to make robots to help clean airbnbs for renter turnovers. Instead they are messing up airbnbs and making them harder to clean before turnovers.

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#55

Post by bluefirebrand »

kibwen wrote: post #40
bluefirebrand wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why the employees? Do you think they were operating without direction from their managers? If we want to put a stop to this sort of behavior from businesses we can't be punishing employees for this behavior, we have to run it up the chain.

You are, in fact, allowed to hate both the player and the game. It is long established that "just following orders" is not a defense.

I'm not saying it should be, but I am saying we should prioritize the people giving the orders

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#57

Post by kortilla »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #10
htrp wrote: post #4

>Donovan alleges that employees of the Bot Company(opens in new tab) rented his home “under false pretenses” to conduct prototype testing on robots they’re training to do household chores. >A refrigerator shelf was cracked, and a broken glass or dish had been left in the garbage disposal. A wooden nightstand drawer was chipped. Cups and plates were in the wrong places. It looked like the furniture had been moved arou…

It's exactly this ethos, the "move fast and break things", and oh, we don't give a fuck about who/what we damage in the process - careless people indeed. I am someone who came of age during an incredibly hopeful time about how technology could be a force for good. The silicon valley ethos at present is totally morally bankrupt and rotten to the core.

Cups and plates in the wrong places, the horror!! This generation is cooked. /s

I wonder why that was on the same level of complaints about broken things.

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#58

Post by maxbond »

stephenhuey wrote: post #48
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They want realistic randomness in the apartment layouts. This is a quick, effective way to get that. If they were honest with the hosts, it wouldn’t even be a bad idea.

[flagged]

I don't think GP disagrees with you. They said it wouldn't be a good idea if they had been honest. Elsewhere they call for the employees to face charges.

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#59

Post by inetknght »

tclancy wrote: post #28
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's exactly this ethos, the "move fast and break things", and oh, we don't give a fuck about who/what we damage in the process - careless people indeed. I am someone who came of age during an incredibly hopeful time about how technology could be a force for good. The silicon valley ethos at present is totally morally bankrupt and rotten to the core.

Same. Growing up Gen X, I always thought robots being used for evil would be cool dystopian dictatorships that would try to grind me under its boot but I would resist. Instead it’s just twerps who are so terminally online they can’t fathom other people seem to have feelings. Now I’m getting even angrier imagining the email that went around internally on how to spin this and why it was a short term loss but will be fo…

> I always thought robots being used for evil would be cool dystopian dictatorships that would try to grind me under its boot but I would resist. Instead it’s just

It's... both.

Re: SF startup is testing robots in Airbnbs, and trashing them, lawsuit claims

#60

Post by JumpCrisscross »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #55
kibwen wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are, in fact, allowed to hate both the player and the game. It is long established that "just following orders" is not a defense.

I'm not saying it should be, but I am saying we should prioritize the people giving the orders

> we should prioritize the people giving the orders

We should. I don’t see an easy way to do that.

I do think there is a straightforward case to be brought against the bookers. So I’m saying start there and then idk have them co-operate against the company.

Post reply on HN