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Ask HN: How to deal with start ups that are shitty neighbors?
Living in SF you sometimes encounter bad behavior from tech start ups in the neighborhood [0].
I chalk this behavior up to short-sightedness in taking shortcuts that save them money in the short term but cost them goodwill and image in the long term, to dissonance when entrepreneurs from out of town come and set up shop in a neighborhood in which they have no connection to the community, and to the lack of resources among city staff to sanction the perpetrators.
When it gets really bad I email the company and politely ask them to correct their behavior. If they don't, then I remind them and mention that my next steps will be complaining to their investors, reporting them to the city, and tipping off the media.
Fortunately I haven't yet needed to take these actions (I am actually pretty patient and understanding), but in some cases I am close.
For those of you that have been on the start up's side of these situations, are there other "magic words" that might cause company leadership to come down to earth and realize the behavior hurts the neighborhood and the company in the long term?
[0] eg. http://uptownalmanac.com/2014/11/munchery-sweeps-garbage-under-rug
- xpto123 12y agofor curiosity, what type of bad behaviors do they engage the most? The link shows a case where they don't handle properly the garbage. But if they stay in their office and they are only 3 or 4, I don't see how they can do that much damage to the neighborhood unless they put screaming music or something. What do they exactly, could you give us some more first-hand examples?
- debacle 12y agoCall the parent method and treat the startup just like any other business.