The controversial Sonder boss, who took out a $30 million loan from Quebec, just bought a $9.2 million luxury home in California.
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As many Montreal residents struggle to find affordable housing, Quebec-born Francis Davidson, CEO of Sonder, gave himself a stunning home designed by rapper-architect Pharrell Williams in Los Angeles in early 2022, US media reports.
Image is from Zillow
Davidson’s company has already been denounced by the Regroupement des Comités Logements et Association de Tenants du Québec (RCLALQ) as contributing to the city’s housing crisis.
This week, we revealed that the short-term rental company Airbnb-like operates 389 units in Montreal.
It offers dozens of apartments on Airbnb in Sud-Ouest, Ville-Marie and Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, where the housing crisis emerges.
Yesterday, the three opposition parties made a proposal to withdraw the loan from Sonder. However, the Lego government did not pursue.
Skyline Residence is a hilltop retreat set on a scenic 1.5 acres […] Built by famed architect Hagy Belzberg,” he reads a description of the property Davidson acquired at the Zillow site.
Image taken from the website of Belzberg Architects
The property is located in the cinema Mecca, in the Hollywood Hills, and notably offers an outdoor cinema that allows projection on the wall of the house.
The home offers a 70-foot infinity pool, according to the site. It has an outdoor cinema, spa, skate park and several outdoor relaxation areas. The master bedroom was designed for “a king,” as the description says, including a ten-foot video wall and an onyx bathroom.
Listen to Richard Martineau’s interview with Jean-François Cloutier, journalist with the Quebec Bureau of Investigation, via QUB Radio:
The 29-year-old Sonder boss also received compensation totaling $3.3 million last year, according to an April 20 financial filing from Sonder.
His salary doubled in one year, from $180,493 to $360,000. He also received stock options worth $2.9 million.
In addition, yesterday the company announced layoffs representing 21% of positions in companies and 7% of front-end positions.
“As part of this restructuring, our company has announced the layoffs of approximately 250 employees, including about 40 in Montreal, including several positions within our call center,” Fiona Story, director of door-to-door delivery, told us, via E-mail. Sonder, early evening.
Sonder stock, listed on Nasdaq, lost 8.7% yesterday, down 82% since January.
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