3 ms·

It would be unreasonable if they were deemed to have liability, but that doesn't mean they don't. On the other hand, what's the worst case scenario? Some minis

by hugh4 11y ago

It would be unreasonable if they were deemed to have liability, but that doesn't mean they don't. On the other hand, what's the worst case scenario? Some miniscule probability that one day he'll fall out if his bunk, break his neck, and google will be on the hook for a few hundred grand. In the meantime, they're probably getting hours per day of extra work out of him, and he's less likely to leave for a new job at a startup without a giant parking lot, showers and free food. So overall it's a net win... at least until thousands of others start to do the same thing and google has a shanty town on its hands.

eastbayjake 11y ago
> On the other hand, what's the worst case scenario? (1) I'm sure the city of Mountain View and its zoning committee will have some issues with illegal housing units (2) I'm sure the fire marshall will have some issues with someone permanently inhabiting a flammable structure (literally on top of a barrel of flammable liquid) with no fire-abatement equipment (3) I'm sure the California DMV will refuse to license a vehicle where the owner's home address is the vehicle itself with no real street address, or a street address where the applicant is not a legal resident and cannot receive mail. And if the vehicle is registered out of state while being in California for more than 60 days, he's violating vehicle licensure laws as well. (4) OSHA is going to have issues with an employee sleeping on company property -- for his safety. OSHA fines are a bad time. (5) If the vehicle burst into flames and the occupant locked inside suffered a slow and agonizingly painful death, you can bet that Google will be found to have some liability for wrongful death, including lost wages and suffering, because they knew about an illegal squatter and did nothing to remove him from the property. Double their financial liability if another occupant was having a sleepover with him. So: the worst case scenario is being in trouble with many local, state, and federal entities, as well as 7-8 figure wrongful death lawsuits. > at least until thousands of others start to do the same thing and google has a shanty town on its hands I hadn't even considered the moral hazard here if Google does nothing about this!

by hugh4 11y ago

eastbayjake 11y ago

> On the other hand, what's the worst case scenario? (1) I'm sure the city of Mountain View and its zoning committee will have some issues with illegal housing units (2) I'm sure the fire marshall will have some issues with someone permanently inhabiting a flammable structure (literally on top of a barrel of flammable liquid) with no fire-abatement equipment (3) I'm sure the California DMV will refuse to license a vehicle where the owner's home address is the vehicle itself with no real street address, or a street address where the applicant is not a legal resident and cannot receive mail. And if the vehicle is registered out of state while being in California for more than 60 days, he's violating vehicle licensure laws as well. (4) OSHA is going to have issues with an employee sleeping on company property -- for his safety. OSHA fines are a bad time. (5) If the vehicle burst into flames and the occupant locked inside suffered a slow and agonizingly painful death, you can bet that Google will be found to have some liability for wrongful death, including lost wages and suffering, because they knew about an illegal squatter and did nothing to remove him from the property. Double their financial liability if another occupant was having a sleepover with him. So: the worst case scenario is being in trouble with many local, state, and federal entities, as well as 7-8 figure wrongful death lawsuits. > at least until thousands of others start to do the same thing and google has a shanty town on its hands I hadn't even considered the moral hazard here if Google does nothing about this!