4 ms·

The tech companies had no problem taking the tax breaks. Twitter pitched the benefits to SF as revitalizing an area of the city. Twitter, et. al. didn't deliver

The tech companies had no problem taking the tax breaks. Twitter pitched the benefits to SF as revitalizing an area of the city. Twitter, et. al. didn't deliver on their end of the deal. I see this as a renegotiation of the deal when one party (SF) has realized that they are getting shafted. Twitter, Uber, etc can always leave if they have a problem. Everyone else that works in SF has to pay for their lunch on lower salaries. If the lunch cost is so unreasonable - bring a microwaveable meal or leftovers from last night. I really don't get why anyone is acting like this is so horrible.

erobbins 8y ago
Mid market has come a long way from 10 years ago when it was a coin flip whether or not you'd be a crime victim going there.
PSZD 8y ago
Because (as someone entirely uninvolved) it looks like an absurd bit of overreach, something akin to mandating that locally-sourced toilet paper be used at all businesses in the city. Go right ahead, but don't mind a bit of sensible chuckling elsewhere in the country.
- pm24601 8y ago
  Just bring a lunch from home! problem solved.
  - thatswrong0 8y ago
    Stop telling people how to eat lunch.
tjohns 8y ago
> I really don't get why anyone is acting like this is so horrible. For me... it's not really about the cost. It's about the time and convenience, and having healthy options. If I have back to back meetings or a deadline, I can grab and eat lunch from an employer cafeteria in 10-15 minutes. If I have to go out to a restaurant, I'm going to be gone for 30-60 minutes. Instead, I'd just end up bringing lunch from home. But I can't cook as well as the cafeteria staff, so I'd probably end up bringing in something pre-packaged that's not as healthy. But I sure as heck wouldn't be going to outside restaurants on a regular basis. That said... the employer provided meals are part of the compensation package for these jobs. So while I don't mind paying for food, salaries would have to adjust to compensate for a lost perk to stay competitive. And on top of that, it just feels like legislative overreach, without clear benefit, that's just going to make SF even less competitive for tech companies. > Everyone else that works in SF has to pay for their lunch on lower salaries. Keep in mind not everyone in tech companies is on a senior engineer's salary. There are lots of lower paid positions.

erobbins 8y ago

Mid market has come a long way from 10 years ago when it was a coin flip whether or not you'd be a crime victim going there.

PSZD 8y ago

Because (as someone entirely uninvolved) it looks like an absurd bit of overreach, something akin to mandating that locally-sourced toilet paper be used at all businesses in the city. Go right ahead, but don't mind a bit of sensible chuckling elsewhere in the country.

pm24601 8y ago
Just bring a lunch from home! problem solved.
- thatswrong0 8y ago
  Stop telling people how to eat lunch.

tjohns 8y ago

> I really don't get why anyone is acting like this is so horrible. For me... it's not really about the cost. It's about the time and convenience, and having healthy options. If I have back to back meetings or a deadline, I can grab and eat lunch from an employer cafeteria in 10-15 minutes. If I have to go out to a restaurant, I'm going to be gone for 30-60 minutes. Instead, I'd just end up bringing lunch from home. But I can't cook as well as the cafeteria staff, so I'd probably end up bringing in something pre-packaged that's not as healthy. But I sure as heck wouldn't be going to outside restaurants on a regular basis. That said... the employer provided meals are part of the compensation package for these jobs. So while I don't mind paying for food, salaries would have to adjust to compensate for a lost perk to stay competitive. And on top of that, it just feels like legislative overreach, without clear benefit, that's just going to make SF even less competitive for tech companies. > Everyone else that works in SF has to pay for their lunch on lower salaries. Keep in mind not everyone in tech companies is on a senior engineer's salary. There are lots of lower paid positions.