Google Ventures' Kevin Rose Targeted by San Francisco Protesters

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Kevin Rose taping an episode of his YouTube show Foundation at the headquarters of Google Ventures.

Video: YouTube, Kevin Rose

By Adario Strange2014-04-06 18:18:35 -0400

Once seen as one of the young upstarts rising from humble beginnings to tech stardom, Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg and now a partner at Google Ventures, is the latest target of San Francisco's anti-Google protesters.

In an Instagram message posted on Sunday, Rose revealed that protesters had shown up at his home and posted a detailed letter labeling him a "parasite," specifically mentioning his association with Google.

See also: SF Imposes Fees on Tech Giants' Commuter Buses After Heated Debate

"My house was protested today by anti-tech folks, they had a large banner saying 'Kevin Rose Parasite,' handed these to my neighbors," wrote Rose, detailing the incident, along with a photo of the flyer.

Headlined by Rose's name above the word "parasite," the flyer also includes an odd smiley face graphic and read, in part:

As a partner venture capitalist at Google Ventures, Kevin directs the flow of capital from Google into the tech startup bubble that is destroying San Francisco. The start-ups that he funds bring the swarms of young entrepreneurs that have ravaged the landscapes of San Francisco and Oakland.

With each new tech corporation comes a wave of fresh techies, who on average earn four times more than a normal service worker. We are the ones who serve them coffee, deliver them food... watch their kids, and mop their floors. Nearly all of them are just like Kevin Rose and we are tired of this miserable and untenable situation.

According to Rose, the protesters also recorded video of their actions and promised to upload the footage to YouTube.

This latest protest against Rose, which has yet to be claimed by any particular group of individuals, is the most high profile of a series of actions taken in recent months against Google employee shuttle buses.

Like the Rose incident, the previous Google shuttle bus protests have focused on the Bay Area's technology boom as a factor in accelerating gentrification and the displacement of lower-income residents.

In a related development, on Wednesday, local officials upheld a decision to charge technology company commuter shuttle buses a fee for using public bus stops in San Francisco.

However, as the local tech boom continues apace, the tensions between major tech brands in the area and protesters appear likely to continue.

But despite the protest landing on his own doorstep, Rose seemed to take the incident in stride, posting his thoughts about the action on Twitter.

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Topics: Google Ventures, kevin rose, Politics, Silicon Valley, Startups, Tech, U.S.