4 ms·

I think we're about 5 years away, maybe less, until company towns come back, as a "new and modern" solution to living costs crisis, you just have to sign a cont

I think we're about 5 years away, maybe less, until company towns come back, as a "new and modern" solution to living costs crisis, you just have to sign a contract saying you will never leave the town unless you pay the debts to the company(and somehow your rent, groceries and medical bills are tiny bit more than what you are paid a month)

botro 4y ago
Not quite 5 years: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elon-musk-plans-to-build-his-own-texas-town https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elon-musk-plans-to...
Ekaros 4y ago
I already saw some documentary about gentrification. And how the restaurateur were building houses to house her workers. Charging pretty obscene rent and somehow telling nothing was wrong there... That isn't too far away from true exploitation.
- MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
  Heck, there's this case where the workers aren't even citizens. Just cheap labor imported en mass to work in the service/hospitality industry: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-souris-tim-hortons-evictions-housing-1.6752938 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-sour...
  - ghaff 4y ago
    In summer tourist areas, it's pretty common to bring in students from e.g. eastern Europe and (I think) often provide housing. But doesn't seem like a terrible deal for everyone involved. A lot of ski areas have dorms as well for seasonal workers.
    - gambiting 4y ago
      Those are short term with a well defined end date and with clear upfront costs. Company towns were anything but, with workers frequently surprised with random charges at the end of the month just to make sure they don't accidentally make any money and pay off their debt to the company l.
      - MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
        They weren't all strictly the same though, there's some variations on the theme. One company in the past was in the business of buying fish from fishermen in small remote towns, transporting and selling it wholesale. They were also in the business of financing the boats for the fishermen. The terms of the loans were predatory and the company was a monopoly in the area, whatever money the fishermen made just went back to the company.
MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-texas-town-52386513 https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-texas-town-52386513 Just imagine, not only could you lose your job for running afoul of a temperamental man child, but your family could be made homeless too!
seren 4y ago
Not sure if this is a joke, but this is already planned. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/03/09/tech/elon-musk-texas-town/index.html https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/03/09/tech/elon-musk-texas-town...
- oska 4y ago
  That story was fake news
- fallingknife 4y ago
  It's not a company town unless the company owns all the businesses and houses and pays you in company scrip. If you are going to call company planned residential projects for employee housing "company towns", then there are already company towns in Silicon Valley, but you'll have to excuse me for not feeling sorry for the workers.
  - hotpotamus 4y ago
    Do you really think Elon Musk would be able to prevent himself from putting his face on the town currency? He may or may not care to name the store Elonmart.
    - fallingknife 4y ago
      I think I will judge him on what he actually does and not on nonsensical hypotheticals
      - hotpotamus 4y ago
        Like spending $44 billion on a marginally profitable social media network, seemingly in a fit of pique at the SEC, and inserting a VIP modifier of 1000X into the algorithm so that his posts always pop to the top of everyone's feed because he was mad that the US President's tweet got more attention? Does that sound like the actions of a person with zero interest in wielding power over the residents of his new domain?
SilasX 4y ago
4 years ago, Google had proposed a massive housing development of their own, which some then compared to bringing back "company towns". My reaction was, we must be in a pretty crappy state where company towns are an improvement (over the current housing situation). https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20215407 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20215407

botro 4y ago

Not quite 5 years: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elon-musk-plans-to-build-his-own-texas-town https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elon-musk-plans-to...

Ekaros 4y ago

I already saw some documentary about gentrification. And how the restaurateur were building houses to house her workers. Charging pretty obscene rent and somehow telling nothing was wrong there... That isn't too far away from true exploitation.

MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
Heck, there's this case where the workers aren't even citizens. Just cheap labor imported en mass to work in the service/hospitality industry: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-souris-tim-hortons-evictions-housing-1.6752938 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-sour...
- ghaff 4y ago
  In summer tourist areas, it's pretty common to bring in students from e.g. eastern Europe and (I think) often provide housing. But doesn't seem like a terrible deal for everyone involved. A lot of ski areas have dorms as well for seasonal workers.
  - gambiting 4y ago
    Those are short term with a well defined end date and with clear upfront costs. Company towns were anything but, with workers frequently surprised with random charges at the end of the month just to make sure they don't accidentally make any money and pay off their debt to the company l.
    - MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
      They weren't all strictly the same though, there's some variations on the theme. One company in the past was in the business of buying fish from fishermen in small remote towns, transporting and selling it wholesale. They were also in the business of financing the boats for the fishermen. The terms of the loans were predatory and the company was a monopoly in the area, whatever money the fishermen made just went back to the company.

MonkeyMalarky 4y ago

https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-texas-town-52386513 https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-texas-town-52386513 Just imagine, not only could you lose your job for running afoul of a temperamental man child, but your family could be made homeless too!

seren 4y ago

Not sure if this is a joke, but this is already planned. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/03/09/tech/elon-musk-texas-town/index.html https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/03/09/tech/elon-musk-texas-town...

oska 4y ago
That story was fake news
fallingknife 4y ago
It's not a company town unless the company owns all the businesses and houses and pays you in company scrip. If you are going to call company planned residential projects for employee housing "company towns", then there are already company towns in Silicon Valley, but you'll have to excuse me for not feeling sorry for the workers.
- hotpotamus 4y ago
  Do you really think Elon Musk would be able to prevent himself from putting his face on the town currency? He may or may not care to name the store Elonmart.
  - fallingknife 4y ago
    I think I will judge him on what he actually does and not on nonsensical hypotheticals
    - hotpotamus 4y ago
      Like spending $44 billion on a marginally profitable social media network, seemingly in a fit of pique at the SEC, and inserting a VIP modifier of 1000X into the algorithm so that his posts always pop to the top of everyone's feed because he was mad that the US President's tweet got more attention? Does that sound like the actions of a person with zero interest in wielding power over the residents of his new domain?

SilasX 4y ago

4 years ago, Google had proposed a massive housing development of their own, which some then compared to bringing back "company towns". My reaction was, we must be in a pretty crappy state where company towns are an improvement (over the current housing situation). https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20215407 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20215407