People have concerns after man shows what it’s like living in $700 sleeping pod
How much would you be willing to pay for a bed?
For most people, that question probably depends on how big the bed is - not to mention the space available around it.
In San Francisco, getting a decent bit of space to call your own can set you back thousands, so some people moving to the city have instead settled on forking out $700 each month to rest their heads in 'sleeping pods'.
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One man who's made a home out of one of the pods is Christian Lewis, who moved to San Fran to keep growing his AI company, Spellcraft AI Founder.
Lewis moved from Illinois last month, and settled into the pod which is 'the size of a twin bed'.
That's right - a twin bed, with no surrounding space, for $700 a month. Ouch.
Photos show Lewis' bed taking up the entirety of the space, with little room for personal items. Instead , he keeps his possessions in a 'storage space downstairs'.
Also downstairs in his building are shared lounges, which he said were 'actually nice'.
As for the bathroom situation, Lewis explained: "Could be better. it’s not a luxury stay. 5 bathrooms, 2 showers, about 20 people here [right now]."
Speaking to ABC 7 about the pod, Lewis said: "It's not very large but it gets the job done. You just need a place to sleep."
Another pod-resident is AI startup founder Haseab, who explained: "I was at home literally living alone and just working out of my own apartment.
"It's much much better to have a diverse group of people that you can work with that can help bounce off ideas, brainstorm and actually be able to make something that is probably a little more reliable."
Approximately 20 people rent sleeping pods in the building space where Lewis and Haseab have set up camp, many of whom are AI founders or people working in the space.
Though both of the AI workers are relatively happy with their setup, people online aren't so sure about the pods.
"Is that... legal?," one person asked, while another responded: "Surely this is a fire hazard."
Another said: "This is definitely illegal."
Though a lot of people had concerns about the pods, Lewis insisted he didn't know why people were 'getting b**chy', adding: "I’m just trying to stay within the city of San Francisco without paying $4,000 a month or getting stabbed, and I think this is a great solution so far. There’s a lot of cool people here too."
When asked about the pods, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said: "You do what you can when you know you have a product that is going to make it so that you don't necessarily have to live at a place like that for the rest of your life."
Emily Brown