In San Francisco where the average rent price is $3,000 – $4,000 a month, renting a sleeping pod for $700 a month is a deal.
“I was living in the Presidio before and was kind of looking for cheaper options just so I could keep working on the stuff I wanted to and working on open-source projects,” said Ben, one of the residents and entrepreneurs.
The majority of people who live in the building have the same goal; build a tech start up and make it big. So, paying high rent prices is not part of that equation.
“I’m originally from China, but I just graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and moved here after graduation,” said Ruidi. “Almost everybody is a founder. They want to achieve something greater and build something that creates more impact for society.”
Each pod is the size of a twin bed, 4 feet tall with two fans, a mirror, and a curtain for privacy.
But after this housing concept went viral in 2023, many here were at risk of losing their housing because the city said the people running it didn’t have the right permits.