

Silicon Valley’s 'Startup Castle' is looking for roommates - zorpner
http://fusion.net/story/134163/silicon-valleys-startup-castle-is-looking-for-roommates-and-the-requirements-are-completely-bonkers/

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dragonwriter
Seems to violate several provisions of California fair housing law [0],
particularly as regards discrimination based on:

1\. medical condition and/or physical or mental disability, (this also seems
to violate _federal_ fair housing laws)

2\. source of income,

3\. personal characteristics, such as a person's physical appearance [...]
that are not related to the responsibilities of a tenant,

[0]
[http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/discriminati...](http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/discrimination.shtml)

~~~
slickwilli
I don't know how it works in Cali but in most other places if the landlord
shares the property (like they themselves are also a tenant) they can be as
discriminating as they want.

~~~
dragonwriter
> I don't know how it works in Cali but in most other places if the landlord
> shares the property (like they themselves are also a tenant) they can be as
> discriminating as they want.

That's not how it works in California (whether or not it is how it works in
some other places); there are limited exceptions for taking on a single
boarder and roommate situations, which are described in the page linked from
the post you responded to, under the heading "Limited exceptions for single
rooms and roommates".

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mxhold
_John, a resident of the Startup Castle (who declined to give his last name),
told me in an interview that he didn’t consider these rules discriminatory,
and that the housemates were just “trying to get away from people who were
obsessed with themselves.”_

I'm astounded anyone could look at that list of requirements and say this with
a straight face.

~~~
kelnos
I actually thing he's serious. I truly believe he actually is that ignorant
that he believes that the attributes in that list make sense with his
"mission". Completely ridiculous, and really sad.

~~~
bradleynurse
I know John, and yes, he is actually that serious, as is his on/off again gf
Katie, who also is part of this startup process. As a previous tenant (from
when they had a place in Mountain View), I can attest to some of the
outlandish practices...interestingly enough, some of the rules, while
applicable to others, they (aka Katie and John) don't even meet the requisites
themselves that they necessitate.

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awalton
I look forward to seeing the parody of this on Silicon Valley next season.

~~~
ljk
Doesn't look like any of the main characters are that arrogant though(unless
Hanneman turns out to be an evil guy?)

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waterlesscloud
At the same time, on a personal level I feel like people should be able to
share their living space with whoever they want. I wouldn't like living with
this group, and I'm certain they wouldn't like living with me, but I've got
nothing against them deciding that's how they want to live.

It sounds like the 21st century silicon valley obsessive version of a commune,
a long California tradition.

Best of luck to 'em, is what I say.

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paulhauggis
"language in the post, such as discouraging frequent make-up wearers and
people with diagnosed mental health conditions from applying"

yes, they have lots of strict rules, but I don't see a problem with either of
these.

It seems these days that everybody not only wants to be able to do anything
they want, but no matter how outlandish, annoying, or potentially dangerous,
it needs to be socially accepted.

~~~
lolhackernews
> It seems these days that everybody not only wants to be able to do anything
> they want, but no matter how outlandish, annoying, or potentially dangerous,
> it needs to be socially accepted.

Like being a woman or having treated mental illnesses. I now remember why I
keep coming to this website, it's just hilarious.

~~~
davidgerard
These people are building our world. Comforting, isn't it?

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tommorris
The language on the website sounds like its selling membership in a new
religious movement ("Save the world", "Our purpose is bigger than ourselves",
"Our spirit is cleansed by doing right by ourselves, our community, and our
world").

Startup culture has finally spawned a monastic cult.

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bruceb
The house manager Nathon Gunn is not having a good day...
[https://twitter.com/search?q=startupcastle&src=tyah](https://twitter.com/search?q=startupcastle&src=tyah)

~~~
bmmayer1
On the contrary, his ad is getting flooded with responses. Any publicity is
good publicity. I should know [1]

[1] [http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/03/everyone-seems-mad-at-
reser...](http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/03/everyone-seems-mad-at-reservation-
hop-founder-admits-he-was-taken-aback-by-the-criticism/)

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svstartupcastle
The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and the people have been
incredibly accomplished. Just sayin'

~~~
davidgerard
It's hard to think of a more appropriate fate for anyone who would live there
than each other.

