Regardless, this is an interesting phenomenon and I wonder whether the luster of SF and SV will continue or correct. The fact there's a market for bunk beds in a 10-person room is intriguing.
I'm not entirely convinced of the merits of this 10-person dorm for twice the cost of a room on Craigslist in the same neighborhood, but my skepticism (a deep, penetrating British skepticism!) is for something I've not tried.
It's not twice the cost of rooms on craigslist in the same neighborhood. Those require a lease, a deposit, setting up and paying for utilities etc. etc. etc.
If you want to compare it to something, compare it to airbnb listings - and this is perfectly in line with market rates. Typical rooms cost $80-120+ if you want your own room. A shared room at $40 makes a lot of sense - if you are ok with those living conditions.
The article gave the impression that some people live there for months ("others settle in for months"). Even so, there are rooms available for <$600 in that neighborhood on CL. The deposit isn't an expense and utilities etc aren't going to be another $600/month unless something sketchy is going on.
I did a quick search on Airbnb for private rooms in the Castro neighborhood (which is where their SF location is) that don't exceed $40/night and there are 34 results. [1] This "hacker hostel" isn't in line with market rates if they're putting 10 people in each room.
For reasons I cannot fathom, if I bump the max price for the above search up to $45, only eight listings are returned.
I'm not entirely convinced of the merits of this 10-person dorm for twice the cost of a room on Craigslist in the same neighborhood, but my skepticism (a deep, penetrating British skepticism!) is for something I've not tried.