
Google employee lives in 16' box truck to avoid Bay Area rents - e15ctr0n
http://www.frominsidethebox.com/view?key=5741031244955648
======
cheald
Honestly, it sounds kinda great. He's going to have some completely unique
experiences and stories that he'll carry with him for the rest of his life,
and he's learning a lot about how to live thriftily and how to separate needs
from wants.

It's not _all_ that different from living in an RV, and he's taking control of
his finances to a degree that most people would never really consider. That's
admirable, IMO.

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kyrre
It's certainly better than Ben Discoe's setup:

[https://www.quora.com/Which-Googler-holds-the-record-for-
liv...](https://www.quora.com/Which-Googler-holds-the-record-for-living-at-
Google-HQ?share=true)

while Brandon has made a whole project out of it with regular blog posts
highlighting his eco-friendliness, Ben was forced to live at Google's parking
lot in a van, in order to pay for alimony.

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krapp
Wow... at the last place I worked someone (other than me) was immediately
fired for taking a nap in the lounge.

Maybe this guy should consider just finding better paying work in a less
expensive market before he winds up getting arrested?

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Futurebot
See also this one about container living in Oakland:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/us/live-in-boxes-in-
oaklan...](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/us/live-in-boxes-in-oakland-
redefine-housing-squeeze.html?ref=business)

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gt565k
I see this as a smart move on his part. He's probably more fiscally
responsible than 99.9% of people, including myself. It looks like a smart
option for someone who only spends time at home when sleeping.

All things considered, I certainly hope that once he has paid off his student
loans, he'll rent or buy a place.

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SQL2219
pictures of the inside of the truck here:

[http://www.businessinsider.com.au/google-employee-lives-
in-t...](http://www.businessinsider.com.au/google-employee-lives-in-truck-in-
parking-lot-2015-10#/#-5)

Rather spartan.

~~~
detaro
> _A school-year later, he was purchasing a 16-foot 2006 Ford with $US157,000
> miles on it._

Hm... "domain-specific" CMS that assumes all large numbers are money, or
strange writer error?

And yeah, that is really spartan. I personally feel spending more money to
make more homely would have been a good investment, but to each their own.
Maybe get an RV or RV-converted truck (less obvious) to start with.

~~~
rubyfan
I wondered the same thing, why not an RV.

Also, I wonder if this guy is tired of Matt Foley references.

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jkarneges
Our startup is having to cut back so this looks like a great idea.

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jordancj
"Hey guys, wanna come over for a drink? Just move my bed to the left."

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joshua4
Paying $1000 / month for rent is expensive? For a GOOGLE employee?

~~~
dajohnson89
Umm, if you can find a decent place in the bay area for $1000/mo, do let me
know.

~~~
ViViDboarder
He said by splitting with roommates in the blog post. That's possible if you
get a 3+ bedroom unit and split amongst that many people.

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abc_lisper
Let me be the first to say it.

YUCK!

What's the point to living if you have the means, but don't live a decent
life? Just to spoil it for others, who are living decently? Is this how this
guy's gonna define himself?

You know, programmers already have a low social reputation for being geeky.
Down mod me all you want but that only proves this is a circle jerk.

Please don't do this. If you do have to do this, don't advertise this. Please
don't. Some of us worked very hard to be here, we would want programmers to be
looked up, not down.

~~~
lolklyn
Yeah this makes it seem pretty crap
[http://frominsidethebox.com/view?key=5713144022302720](http://frominsidethebox.com/view?key=5713144022302720)

~~~
abc_lisper
What are you, 14?

~~~
lolklyn
I was agreeing with you?

~~~
abc_lisper
Um, sorry, I don't get it. I thought you were implying living in a decent
house generates a lot of trash.

