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The Google Employee Who Opted For a Truck Over Bay Area Rents (dice.com)

Posted by timothy on from the work-from-home dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes: A little over a year ago, Google employees on a Quora thread announced they'd discovered an interesting way to live in the ultra-expensive Bay Area: Rather than pay for conventional housing, they resided in trucks and RVs parked near (or on) the company's campus, and took advantage of corporate perks—including free food, gym facilities, and dry cleaning—to get by on a day-by-day basis. Now one Googler, Brandon S., has taken to his blog to describe how he engaged in a little off-grid living within sight of Google's high-tech headquarters. First he spent $10,000 of his Google signing bonus on a 2006 Ford truck with 128 square feet of room in the back, which he filled with a bed, dresser, and coat rack. Google pays for his phone, and he uses the company's gym and cafeterias to eat and shower. For those Bay Area tech pros who think Brandon's lifestyle sounds appealing, his list of drawbacks includes "social suicide," the inconvenience of not having a bathroom or fridge in close proximity, stress, insect infestations, and the upfront costs of purchasing a large-enough vehicle. On the other hand, he's also using the cash savings to rapidly pay down his student loans.

5 of 492 comments (clear)

  1. alternately: by Thud457 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    or, you know, google could pay a living wage.
    Time to unionize, boys!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:alternately: by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Really? Japan has worse earthquakes (higher magnitude, more frequent) and MASSIVE skyscrapers. It's all about engineering.

    2. Re:alternately: by tlambert · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because barracks were not considered "housing"?

      Because it would detract from the income of small apartment complexes who wanted to rent to Google and Facebook employees, and charge them huge rents.

  2. Math by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 5, Insightful

    >> 90% of my after-tax income, and throwing that in student loans...$22,434 worth of student loans, and has paid it down to $16,449...four months

    That's only $1,500 paid down on student loans per month. If that's 90% of his after-tax income (even in California), he's making maybe $22K/year, and spending just $150 month on other stuff.

  3. Re:Cautionary tale by twotacocombo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He's living with the conscious decision of enduring mild, planned hardship now with the goal of greatly improving his situation in life later. He is taking advantage of the environment and resources available to him to meet his needs, instead of blindly blowing the majority of his income on what others feel should be an acceptable quality of life for him. Why would you consider forward thinking and aggressive budgeting a 'cautionary tale'? He's got a plan and motivation, which a lot more than I can say about most of the people I work with.