4 ms·

What about prostitutes do you not believe? That they exist? That they get hired by companies to entertain the team? That this happens in startups?

by iowai 12y ago

djur 12y ago
The latter two. I have trouble believing that even in the excesses of the dotcom boom there were companies hiring prostitutes in the open.
- emiliobumachar 12y ago
  Presumably they kept it out of the press releases. What's "in the open"?
  - djur 12y ago
    Well, a party usually has a lot of people at it. All you need is one person who has qualms and calls the police. I'd have expected that kind of thing to be done with a little bit more discretion and plausible deniability.
    - coldtea 12y ago
      As the other guy said they can just call them "escorts" or "exotic dancers".
    - ObviousScience 12y ago
      That guy calls the police. The manager answer the door and tells the police that the employee misunderstood, and he'd merely hired dancers for the night. That guy doesn't have a job anymore, and no one is going to get in trouble with the cops. The only way to be sure that they're prostitutes is to actually have a transaction with one, which if you go to the police about, are more likely to get arrested for than anyone else, since you're the only proven john. You can be fairly direct with later deniability, and there's an incredibly high cost to being the guy that called the cops. Why do you think drug use at start-ups is so common, even at work sponsored events?
      - djur 12y ago
        I didn't know drug use at work-sponsored events was common. Is this a San Francisco thing?
        ObviousScience 12y ago
        Late reply: I've seen off-label pill use, marijuana, and cocaine at work related events (or just casually around the office) in at least 5 states, ranging between the West Coast, the East Coast, and Texas. The settings have ranged from small companies and start-ups (which have the most drug use openly) to large corporations like Microsoft (where people at least hid in the bathroom or private areas while doing lines). Marijuana is the most prevalent that I've seen, at 8 different states and between widely varying social groups. I've even been offered ADHD meds not prescribed for me by senior people at the company I worked for at the time, to keep me working long hours and more focused at work. (Hey, if it works for college kids, it works for adults.) The simple answer is that not everyone agrees with laws against vices, particularly things like prostitutes and drug use - and see no reason to follow them. If you're not aware that things like this happen, you probably give off the impression that you'll try to get people arrested and seriously damage their lives because they take an intoxicant you were told was bad, rather than alcohol or any of the various other legal ones. tl;dr: It's all over, and if you don't see it, people are actively hiding it for you because they don't trust you to make reasonable choices.
        djur 12y ago
        Thanks for the information, but you can keep the needless (and hilariously inaccurate) moralizing. Where I work, most official work events are set up to allow employees to bring in their kids. I believe most people would not do lines in front of preteens. What people do in private is another thing entirely.
        ObviousScience 12y ago
        > I believe most people would not do lines in front of preteens. What people do in private is another thing entirely. This has been my impression of work parties as well. I think I omitted it, but the context to my reply was more of a late-evening-with-drinks party than a good-for-the-family party/event.
- corin_ 12y ago
  It happens - most recent time I witnessed it was at a company's party in August. Only in the VIP area.. from where I took a few cigars then left to the non-VIP area. It's legal where this party was (Germany), though that's not to say it doesn't happen in countries where it isn't legal.
  - a_bonobo 12y ago
    There was a fairly big scandal 3 years ago in Germany when the big insurance company Munich Re sponsored prostitutes for its 100 best insurance salesmen. This definitely happens, all the time. Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/19/sex-party-reward-german-salesmen http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/19/sex-party-rewar...
- ifuck 12y ago
  Being a prostitute myself, I can tell you that this is happening in the here and now all the time.
  - pavel_lishin 12y ago
    Can you share a few anonymized stories?
    - candycane 12y ago
      I like to think start-ups offer some unique experiences to their employees. Work that makes you grow as a person. The sort of thing your dad smiles at and points out all that extra hair on your chest. There's a certain high-level manager at a Valley startup. His team just launched. Everyone's high. Super-buzzed. Nice party. I have a little printed crib-sheet. John. 43. B-school. Wife left. Couldn't handle being a married single mom. Has visiting rights to his daughters, but doesn't have time to exercise them. It's my job to go home with him. Make it all worth it. Usually these guys are into wife-play. As in, I play the role of their ex. Give them a taste of a still-sizzling marriage for a night. "New honeymoon vibes" is what my boss calls it. Basically a tailored prostitute for guys who royally fucked up their personal life. Because that's how the modern startup views itself: a family surrogate, and I'm just another extension.
      - Kamic 12y ago
        burn!: modern startup views itself: a family surrogate -
      - marincounty 12y ago
        Don't leave out a lot of these guy's couldn't land the chick they think deserve, even after they get that first big check. Don't down vote because it rings too true. Down boys because I'm off base?
      - djur 12y ago
        I can see how they'd be able to get away with that, although frankly I'd be wondering who these women nobody seems to know are doing at the party. But I'm pretty sure at this point it's just a culture difference between where I live and Silicon Valley.
- wodenokoto 12y ago
  They just call them escorts.
- coldtea 12y ago
  You'd be surprised. And they can always come in as mere "exotic dancers".

What about prostitutes do you not believe? That they exist? That they get hired by companies to entertain the team? That this happens in startups?

by iowai 12y ago

What about prostitutes do you not believe? That they exist? That they get hired by companies to entertain the team? That this happens in startups?

djur 12y ago

The latter two. I have trouble believing that even in the excesses of the dotcom boom there were companies hiring prostitutes in the open.

emiliobumachar 12y ago
Presumably they kept it out of the press releases. What's "in the open"?
- djur 12y ago
  Well, a party usually has a lot of people at it. All you need is one person who has qualms and calls the police. I'd have expected that kind of thing to be done with a little bit more discretion and plausible deniability.
  - coldtea 12y ago
    As the other guy said they can just call them "escorts" or "exotic dancers".
  - ObviousScience 12y ago
    That guy calls the police. The manager answer the door and tells the police that the employee misunderstood, and he'd merely hired dancers for the night. That guy doesn't have a job anymore, and no one is going to get in trouble with the cops. The only way to be sure that they're prostitutes is to actually have a transaction with one, which if you go to the police about, are more likely to get arrested for than anyone else, since you're the only proven john. You can be fairly direct with later deniability, and there's an incredibly high cost to being the guy that called the cops. Why do you think drug use at start-ups is so common, even at work sponsored events?
    - djur 12y ago
      I didn't know drug use at work-sponsored events was common. Is this a San Francisco thing?
      - ObviousScience 12y ago
        Late reply: I've seen off-label pill use, marijuana, and cocaine at work related events (or just casually around the office) in at least 5 states, ranging between the West Coast, the East Coast, and Texas. The settings have ranged from small companies and start-ups (which have the most drug use openly) to large corporations like Microsoft (where people at least hid in the bathroom or private areas while doing lines). Marijuana is the most prevalent that I've seen, at 8 different states and between widely varying social groups. I've even been offered ADHD meds not prescribed for me by senior people at the company I worked for at the time, to keep me working long hours and more focused at work. (Hey, if it works for college kids, it works for adults.) The simple answer is that not everyone agrees with laws against vices, particularly things like prostitutes and drug use - and see no reason to follow them. If you're not aware that things like this happen, you probably give off the impression that you'll try to get people arrested and seriously damage their lives because they take an intoxicant you were told was bad, rather than alcohol or any of the various other legal ones. tl;dr: It's all over, and if you don't see it, people are actively hiding it for you because they don't trust you to make reasonable choices.
        djur 12y ago
        Thanks for the information, but you can keep the needless (and hilariously inaccurate) moralizing. Where I work, most official work events are set up to allow employees to bring in their kids. I believe most people would not do lines in front of preteens. What people do in private is another thing entirely.
        ObviousScience 12y ago
        > I believe most people would not do lines in front of preteens. What people do in private is another thing entirely. This has been my impression of work parties as well. I think I omitted it, but the context to my reply was more of a late-evening-with-drinks party than a good-for-the-family party/event.
corin_ 12y ago
It happens - most recent time I witnessed it was at a company's party in August. Only in the VIP area.. from where I took a few cigars then left to the non-VIP area. It's legal where this party was (Germany), though that's not to say it doesn't happen in countries where it isn't legal.
- a_bonobo 12y ago
  There was a fairly big scandal 3 years ago in Germany when the big insurance company Munich Re sponsored prostitutes for its 100 best insurance salesmen. This definitely happens, all the time. Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/19/sex-party-reward-german-salesmen http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/19/sex-party-rewar...
ifuck 12y ago
Being a prostitute myself, I can tell you that this is happening in the here and now all the time.
- pavel_lishin 12y ago
  Can you share a few anonymized stories?
  - candycane 12y ago
    I like to think start-ups offer some unique experiences to their employees. Work that makes you grow as a person. The sort of thing your dad smiles at and points out all that extra hair on your chest. There's a certain high-level manager at a Valley startup. His team just launched. Everyone's high. Super-buzzed. Nice party. I have a little printed crib-sheet. John. 43. B-school. Wife left. Couldn't handle being a married single mom. Has visiting rights to his daughters, but doesn't have time to exercise them. It's my job to go home with him. Make it all worth it. Usually these guys are into wife-play. As in, I play the role of their ex. Give them a taste of a still-sizzling marriage for a night. "New honeymoon vibes" is what my boss calls it. Basically a tailored prostitute for guys who royally fucked up their personal life. Because that's how the modern startup views itself: a family surrogate, and I'm just another extension.
    - Kamic 12y ago
      burn!: modern startup views itself: a family surrogate -
    - marincounty 12y ago
      Don't leave out a lot of these guy's couldn't land the chick they think deserve, even after they get that first big check. Don't down vote because it rings too true. Down boys because I'm off base?
    - djur 12y ago
      I can see how they'd be able to get away with that, although frankly I'd be wondering who these women nobody seems to know are doing at the party. But I'm pretty sure at this point it's just a culture difference between where I live and Silicon Valley.
wodenokoto 12y ago
They just call them escorts.
coldtea 12y ago
You'd be surprised. And they can always come in as mere "exotic dancers".