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

61–70 of 169 posts

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

#61

Post by __s »

kortilla wrote: post #57
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.

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.

> refrigerator shelf was cracked ... broken glass or dish ... wooden nightstand drawer was chipped

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

#62

Post by JumpCrisscross »

Borealid wrote: post #50
TZubiri wrote: post #14

Can any lawyer clear this up for me? If the company ends up having no commercial success and the lawsuits for damages rack up, can they just close the company file for bankruptcy and face no consequences? Or is there some civil or criminal risk to this behaviour?

As a slight hint, one of the more common types of corporation is an "LLC". LLC stands for Limited Liability Company. If the company's owners had unlimited liability for problems the company caused, that wouldn't be much of an LLC, would it? The primary purpose of an LLC is to make it so that the owners (often the founders) cannot personally be held responsible for debts the company incurs, even debts incurred through…

> primary purpose of an LLC is to make it so that the owners (often the founders) cannot personally be held responsible for debts the company incurs

It’s more so investors who aren’t involved in day-to-day decision making can invest without worrying that the founders will create liability for them.

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

#63

Post by inetknght »

SequoiaHope wrote: post #46
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 don’t know if the concept of the Nuremberg defense is really applicable to, you know, basic property damage.

Really?

You might want to ask most contractors, or contract lawyers, about that.

"I was just following orders" for basic property damage typically doesn't hold up in court for them either.

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

#64

Post by [deleted] »

kortilla wrote: post #57
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.

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.

[deleted]

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

#65

Post by olyjohn »

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

Nah fuck them both. They went in an left apartments in disarray and didn't give a fuck. That's just basic human decency, regardless of whether or not your boss is a prick too.

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

#66

Post by JumpCrisscross »

deckar01 wrote: post #31

> He looked through a window and saw black cables taped to the walls. A man was typing on a laptop sitting next to what appeared to be a robot. This sounds a lot like criminal invasion of privacy. Edit: What are you downvoting? You can’t secretly watch Airbnb guests through a window you rented to them for the same reason you can’t put spy cameras in their bathroom.

> You can’t secretly watch Airbnb guests through a window

Systematically? No. Casually? Of course you can. Why wouldn’t you be allowed to?

These aren’t corporate landlords, after all.

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

#67

Post by stephenhuey »

maxbond wrote: post #58
stephenhuey wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[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.

Ah, I see. Pardon me making him a scapegoat. My rant in between bouts of wrestling with mobile sandbox subscription testing weirdness should have been directed at a vague cohort of less considerate SV folks, so instead I wish to thank him for trying to make the world a better place, and I wouldn't mind if he invited me skiing or flying sometime so we can discuss how I can help him make the world a better place. :)

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

#68

Post by maxbond »

kortilla wrote: post #57
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.

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.

No, this isn't a generational thing, if you don't see the problem with trashing someone's house (let alone doing so to the tune of $12k) that is a comment on your values alone.

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

#69

Post by frrr »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #62
Borealid wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a slight hint, one of the more common types of corporation is an "LLC". LLC stands for Limited Liability Company. If the company's owners had unlimited liability for problems the company caused, that wouldn't be much of an LLC, would it? The primary purpose of an LLC is to make it so that the owners (often the founders) cannot personally be held responsible for debts the company incurs, even debts incurred through…

> primary purpose of an LLC is to make it so that the owners (often the founders) cannot personally be held responsible for debts the company incurs It’s more so investors who aren’t involved in day-to-day decision making can invest without worrying that the founders will create liability for them.

This. You can still go after management in certain circumstances

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

#70

Post by fragmede »

kibwen wrote: post #39
chatmasta wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These bots are going to arrive suddenly and in huge volume. I’m not sure when it will happen, but when it does, it will be extremely fast. The software is basically ready, and the hardware isn’t too far off. The processing latency will be problematic but with local inference improving quickly, this will all come together into the perfect storm for the arrival of the bot army. I don’t think any of us are prepared for…

No, neither the hardware nor software is anywhere even remotely ready, where by "ready" we mean "safe to share living spaces with unsupervised children and pets without EVER accidentally reducing your toddler to a fine paste, literally a 0% chance". That's the minimum that people will accept, and that's more than ten years away, if it ever happens.

Meanwhile, there's a tired mom of triplets who's wondering "how fine? (a paste)"
Post reply on HN