Elon Musk Wants Tesla Gigafactory Employees to Live on Site in Mobile Homes | Hacker News Reader

Elon Musk Wants Tesla Gigafactory Employees to Live on Site in Mobile Homes

thedrive.com

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It’s almost as if we didn’t learn our lesson 100 years ago about the failings of the Company Town and Company Store. What’s next? Will Tesla be paying its employees in scrip?

I'm genuinely curious in a breakdown of the good and bad of company housing _without also assuming company scrip_ if you'd actually like to put some content into this low-effort post.

Naively I'd imagine there's some sort of argument that company housing is good for both the employees and the rest of the community. If Tesla moves in and uses the general housing market, rents go up whether you work at Tesla or not. Even if they increase their salaries to accommodate, it doesn't help you if you work at the local hardware store. Conversely, if Tesla mitigates their own employees' shock to the housing market by adding Tesla-only housing stock, hardware store guy's rent doesn't go up by as much.

What am I missing?

Well, if losing / leaving your job means you also lose the roof over your head, effective immediately or on short notice, that gives the company a whole hell of a lot more leverage over employees.

And if you have to live in company housing in order to take your job (or have access to it within a vaguely reasonable commute), the company has a lot more leverage over you as tenant than a typical landlord would.

I'm not settled on whether I consider this idea good or bad. Probably a mixed bag. But these points are critical. It MUST be handled very carefully to avoid being a really bad thing. Like, up front contract giving you 3-6 months to move after end of employment (no matter the cause). Even better, have some portion of the lots be empty with hookups, for employees to park their own mobile home or RV.

[Edit to add: Your name is tongue-twisting my brain. Make it stop.]

Can't figure out how to edit but I'm also assuming there are not Tesla-controlled stores since that's a less obvious version of scrip. If it's _just_ houses, is it still bad?

The failure of company towns was because they were paid in scrip, which made it impossible to move away if/when you got fired or found better work.

As long as the employees are paid in real money, and they can choose not to live in the company housing if they don't want to, there's nothing wrong with employer provided housing. That's pretty much what happens right now in the oil and shale fields in the north midwest.

Aren't company shares and options a bit like scrip?

Maybe we'll see employees paid in company cryptocoins soon.

Yes, exactly! As I was reading it, the song '16 Tons' started running through my head.

Why should employees worry about housing? About what to do with their lives? Why should they worry about managing their finances?

I propose the idea of WorryFree, a new form of employment. They give you home, food and handle all your money. You don't need to get paid, they provide everything you need. In exchange you only have to work for them.

not just mobile homes, but "kind of high-quality" mobile homes

sheezus, couldn't he have pitched this a little better?

"mobile homes", in the popular imagination, already connotes something of lower quality than just "homes." and, if you want to attract people to something like that, you don't say "kind of" you go all the way. you say "extremely" or "high tech and modern" or something.

finally, just don't use the term "mobile home" at all. say "top quality, pre-built, modular" or something. and if you're Elon Musk, paint your vision for creating the world's largest factory for constructing high-tech modular housing in the next state over.

I don't think that even was the real Elon Musk. This guy is an imposter.

I think that was a direct verbal quote. Elon is kind of an awkward guy with public speaking, but he's honest (from what I can tell of his body language and etc.). Saying "kind of high-quality mobile homes" is probably just a vague summation of what he wants for housing. He may have not totally figured it out yet, or he may have been trying to lessen the impact of the "mobile homes" part, or most likely both.

ok. yeah. makes sense. he tends to speak in an unfiltered way, sometimes to his own detriment, but often that unpolished directness is refreshing. i guess that was the real Elon Musk.

Only if you join us, Mr Musk.

Fantastic idea for tech to try new ideas in housing and health care. Two sectors of the economy that are increasing inequality and driving lower life expectancy. With all their wealth and resources, the lack of focus on these basic issues is surprising.

This is hardly a new idea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_town

> new ideas in housing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_town

is he finally showing signs of sleep deprivation? and is he aware?

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