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Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

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481–490 of 533 posts

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#481
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if it is, it's just a few pennies per day.

No, if your employer is giving you $10k worth of meals (their cost to produce them) and charging you $100 for it, you are taxable on the $9,900 benefit.

So if I buy a product for $100, that cost a company $200 to produce, I am liable for a $100 taxable benefit? Now I'm _definitely_ staying away from all those Black Friday and BOGO sales.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#482
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, if your employer is giving you $10k worth of meals (their cost to produce them) and charging you $100 for it, you are taxable on the $9,900 benefit.

So if I buy a product for $100, that cost a company $200 to produce, I am liable for a $100 taxable benefit? Now I'm _definitely_ staying away from all those Black Friday and BOGO sales.

The grandparents comment is specifically true of employment fringe benefits, and not true of sales to the general public, though meals may be excluded if they meet the rest of being provided for the emplkyer’s convenience.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-fringe-benefits...

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15b.pdf

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#483

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well, wealth creates a market opportunity. when everyone is poor, there is no market opportunity.

Obviously, we don't want everyone to stay poor. At the same time, we don't want certain people to be so low on the dominance hierarchy, that they think violence is their only alternative.

i don’t believe it has to do with position on a dominance hierarchy.

i think it has more to do with dignity.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#484
post #478

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They definitely want to increase your productivity, you are right. Your productivity drives their revenue forward. They are willing to contribute small amount of that revenue for giving you free food. But do you really want to be like that? Work harder for free food?

I don't think the purpose of free food is to incentivize employees to work harder . It's to let employees have lunch in the office without having to leave. As mentioned several times in the comments here, employees at companies that provide this option tend to like it.

it is to make employees have lunch in the office without letting them leave.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#485
post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just skip eating for those hours? Digestion disturbs brain activity anyway.

Because it is hard to be effective at work when you are hungry

If you stop eating at a certain period every day, you'll stop feeling hungry.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Last year, California's economy grew so much that it took back its spot as #5 in the world...behind only the US, China, Japan, and Germany, That's not really saying much given its population AND its land area. It should be performing right where it is.

??? Alaska and Texas are geographically larger states. France and Algeria are both geographically larger and have more people. As does India. Canada is roughly the same size population-wise but has significantly more land and natural resources available for extraction... However you measure it, California is outperforming other states and other nations.

Texas has far less population than California. If you adjust they perform about the same. Oh, perhaps you should look at GDP per capita, where California isn't at all extraordinary. Hmm, it's almost as if you should compare properly?

Imagine bowing down to a state and ignoring facts. I never said California wasn't performing well. But in a pro-business country (far more than France), one of its biggest states, with its largest population, that is bigger than most countries on earth, why is it so shocking that their GDP is that high?

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#487
post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which politicians from which decades will we hold responsible for allowing explosive tech growth without a plan for the long time residents, service workers and teachers who can no longer afford to live in the area, unless they live on the sidewalk or the bus? Surely this was foreseeable.

Explosive growth is great. Trying to keep a city looking as it did in the past and thus not having enough housing is the problem.

And thus, according to the proposed idea to hold past politicians responsible for future side effects, there should have been a plan for the side effects.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#488
post #485

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it is hard to be effective at work when you are hungry

If you stop eating at a certain period every day, you'll stop feeling hungry.

Sometimes I'll get into 'productive' first thing, at 10amish. Other times it takes a few hours, so it's random.

Once I get into productive mode I'd rather not get out of it until I'm finished, and leaving my desk for more than a few minutes, or having to concentrate of complex tasks like talking to someone at a counter, is sure to do that.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#489
post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On a good day, I work about 5 hours a day. That's non stop, from about 10.30 until about 4pm, or from about 3pm to 8pm. If I stop for lunch, I stop, and don't get back into it. So I eat lunch at my desk. It's not bad for me. 10 hour days to accomplish half the work is bad.

You can split the work and do the rest next day, there is no rush, really.

While I'd love to only work 2 hours a day, it's not really feasible.

Re: Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies

#490
post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And regressive state politics and terrible culture and weather. Tech companies hiring in Texas is a negative signal.

Regressive is in the eye of the beholder.

A state that thrives on the glorification of implements of violence, considers the health of women and sexuality to be subordinate to religious beliefs, and education a luxury is one I'd consider regressive. Others certainly disagree: I would not want to live in communities where their voice has any political power, and the feeling is probably mutual. So this negative signal is a win-win.
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