Techies in the Bay area need to get more involved in local politics. They are what makes the area tick and without them nobody would give a shit about the area. This finally need to get reflected in local politics, not nimby and keeping crap like it was in the seventies. Let's build that damn city from Blade Runner!
Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
371–380 of 533 posts
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#372> The ban wouldn't be retroactive, however, so on-site food at companies like Google and Twitter would still be available Cool, so start-ups lose a potential hiring perk to the incumbents. (Does anyone know the story behind this bill? Which politicians and restaurants supported it? I’d like to avoid the latter going forward.)
Politicians either don't give a shit about startups because they don't fill their campaign coffers or just plain don't understand the ecosystem. Techies need to take over Bay area politics.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#373Earlier quoted context omitted.
I dont think that's considered a deal breaker for most people, or even a major consideration
If two companies offer offer same salary and similar in every other sense, but one doesn't offer free food, I will choose one that does. If the company that doesn't offer food has +$20 salary per day, I would probably still choose one with food. It's easier, more convenient and probably healthier as well.
"If two companies offer offer same salary and similar in every other sense, but one doesn't offer free food, I will choose one that does."
... but in reality there are hardly any jobs that are so directly equal.
I used to always 'go for the money' when I was younger, but now ... all the other factors matter so much. Just the temperament of your direct reports matter so much. One fewer headache a week? What's that worth? A lot :)
Meals are a nice thing, but relatively small in the equation, at least compared to all the things related to the job ... and I find the food more a matter of convenience than anything. Personally, I'd be happy with free microwave burritos on those 'I'm busy' days, but that's just me.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#374Lotta hate for Mountain View in the comments here, which is ironic because with this ordnance Mountain View is trying to fix a problem that tech companies get a lot of hate on HN for. I've got mixed feelings about this, so I'll try and explain both sides: The problem MV's fixing is the perception that highly-paid tech workers have become a class of their own, isolated from the larger communities in which they live an…
Most of those complaints about the technorati are about Google/Facebook etc. Large companies that bus in their employees. But this legislation won't affect any of them because they are all grandfathered in.
And I think I agree with your cynic. How many people who live in affordable housing are going to be going to the same restaurants for lunch as googler/facebookers anyway?
If you want people to care about a neighborhood, give them housing to live there. Or take a softer approach and tax cafeterias and use the proceeds to actually improves someone's lives.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#375Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm wondering the same. Two growing trends that I'm observing: 1. Businesses moving out of California, especially NorCal. Sergey Brin already said two years ago that he would not have started Google in NorCal today. He was right. There's a lot more interest in other locations, such as Austin. 2. Remote work, and fully remote virtual offices. Personally I know a bunch of people who declined offers in the SFBay to avoi…
The issue is that America funds cities poorly. There is a federal subsidy from cities that goes to rural areas. Red areas get more back in services than they pay in taxes, and blue areas pay out more in taxes than they get back. So cities have to raise funding somehow. (This is also a problem with the way America funds schools. The US needs to figure out how to distribute tax dollars more equally - or at least figure…
Meg McArdle recently wrote a piece with some pretty convincing evidence that this is just factually untrue on a per capita basis.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-02-05/think-car...
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#376Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t understand the obsession with Austin. It’s actually quite a small player in the tech industry.
The best startups and investment out here tend to be second-tier compared to the Bay Area. It's improving but still small and far from SF-level success. That said, second tier is great compared to everywhere outside of the Bay Area and NYC. I'd recommend not moving to Central Texas, by the way. Water availability is going to be a huge issue as the population continues to increase. Cities aren't feeling it yet but the…
Yea I'm not moving there, but I'm pretty sure they'll figure out the water issue as they always do.
My point was more that there's probably 8-10 metro areas that fall into the "second-tier", but Austin somehow gets pretty consistently thrown out as some alternative to the valley.
But the numbers play out a bit differently. In terms of VC investments, Austin is yes..second-tier (really 3rd, b/c NYC, LA, and Boston make a case for being the 2nd and everyone else is well behind them)..right there with Miami, Chicago, DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, etc. In other words...it's just a regular city that has an ok tech scene.
Not to say that VC money is the only metric by which we should judge, but it's a pretty decent barometer.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#377Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Solving the basics is incredibly important. Ah, but you see, it is also difficult! "Dirty streets" and "traffic congestion" are big, messy problems, requiring careful planning, managing projects and contractors, adversarial factors, etc. By contrast, passing laws that apply to corporations is so easy! They are generally law abiding, so you just tell them "no more free food for you!", and they obey. Until, you know,…
It's almost like we need a system of government where officials are held accountable for decisions they make in office years later when they prove to be incredibly poor decisions. The current system allows them to make long term decisions and get away with it since it does not impact them (term limits, etc help with that)
It’s undemocratic AF but that is the one good thing about the House if Lords... if anyone there messes up their family will need to deal with it. Of course Tony Bliar wrecked that too.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#378So, let me get this straight. Bay Area creates legislation like building codes, permitting, increased minimum wage etc. that makes it very expensive to open and run a restaurant. That is probably reflected in the food prices, which makes subsidized food at work an attractive perk. To counteract this problem, even more legislation is proposed.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#379I'm sorry but this is so f*cking stupid. As a Bay Area resident my priorities are the cost of housing, cleaning our dirty streets and alleviating traffic congestion. This is an example of progressivism gone awry. Solving the basics is incredibly important. Our quality of life is in decline (in the bay area) and this is the best our politicians can do? I'm enraged.
Really enraged? I'm not exactly sure what "progressivism" is but seems like accepting financial responsibility for one's own lunch and/or supporting the local deli is far more akin to conservatism.
Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies
#380There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.