Ask HN: Why FAANG don't build houses next to the campuses?

2 points·fsdjfkaadsfhsd··5 comments

There is a Siemensstadt district in Berlin which is built around a Siemens factory, why can't Google do the same? They invest billions into new fancy office spaces, why won't they build apartment complexes next to them and rent to the employees?

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Fb claims it will: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-building-employee-h...

They’re in a (for the SF peninsula) slightly downscale area. Apple seems not to be, Netflix isn’t. California is hard to build in, though. Don’t know about Amazon, but they don’t seem to need to- RV-dwellers will show up and work without other housing.

As convenient as it sounds, I'm not sure we're quite ready for the modern resurrection of the Company Town. On a more practical note, my guess is: why would they invest in residential property when people will work for them anyway? It's not their core competency so it makes sense for them to stay out of that market.

Isn't it competitive advantage: you can have a cool office and nice apartment next to it, or only cool office and commute for 50 minutes every day

I dunno about FAANG, but in Latvia the biggest IT company Draugiem Group had dorms with every extra (like sauna and gym etc) for those who wanted

> Sorry we're going to have to let you go. Please clear your desk and move out of your apartment by EOD.

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