06/01/2026
We disagree. We specifically want people that work at and with Rentah to have a work-life balance and a multitude of interests.
Burnout, long commutes, and lack of fulfillment, are not signs of a healthy society or work force.
We specifically remember a time when Google Engineers were encouraged to spend roughly one day a week (20% of their time) working on side projects they personally believed in, even if those projects weren’t part of their official assignment.
The idea came from a mix of:
* academic freedom culture,
* Bell Labs/Xerox PARC style experimentation,
* and Google’s belief that talented people produce breakthroughs when given autonomy.
Some major products either directly came from, or were heavily shaped by, that culture:
* Gmail — probably the most famous example. Developed by Paul Buchheit as a side project.
* Google News — created after 9/11 because an engineer wanted a better way to track evolving news stories.
* Google Maps — evolved through acquisitions plus internal experimentation culture.
At Rentah We are not trying to accelerate the techno-corporate-dystopia. We are trying to build an alternative to it.
Actually we want to FIGHT IT.
We need:
• stronger local economies
• less consumption
• more income
Renting is the tool.
Self-sufficiency is the mission.
And the only way we will achieve our goals is if our team understands the world around us, sees it for what it is, and what it can be.
They won’t be able to do that if they hate their lives.
