San Francisco Airbnb host seeks $12K after startup allegedly used rental for robot testing

A San Francisco Airbnb host is seeking $12,000 in damages after a robotics startup allegedly used his property to test a robot prototype without telling him.

The startup booked the home through Airbnb but did not disclose that the stay would involve robotics testing, according to SFGATE.

The Bot Company, which is developing robots for household chores, is the latest venture from Kyle Vogt, the former CEO and founder of robotaxi company Cruise. Last year, the startup was reportedly preparing to raise $250 million at a valuation of more than $4 billion.

Sean Donovan, who has rented out his childhood home in San Francisco on Airbnb for years, told SFGATE that he and his partner had never spent more time repairing the property after a guest stay.

“We had a ton of work to do when we got back,” Donovan told the outlet, adding, “Way more than we’ve ever had before.”

Donovan has since filed a lawsuit in San Francisco County Superior Court seeking damages from The Bot Company, identified in court records as “Botco,” alleging the startup used the rental to test a “robotic prototype” under “false pretenses.”

He claims the guest damaged his property and entered a locked closet without permission.

Donovan said he first suspected something was off when he stopped by the home to handle the guests’ trash. As he moved a bin, he noticed bundles of wires running through the home and traced them to the dining room table, where he saw a device he compared to “the Borg” from Star Trek while a man worked nearby on a laptop.

He later described the device as a roughly six-foot “Roomba with treads,” fitted with square poles and belts.

Donovan said he did not see the device operating, and there were no cameras inside the home, in line with Airbnb policy.

According to the lawsuit, more than 30 people came and went from the home during the April 12 to 25 booking. Donovan also told SFGATE that his Ring camera captured audio of a woman outside discussing work shifts and whether she might stay through the night to help, though she ultimately did not.

The host now believes his property was used as a makeshift research lab.

‘Bots can help’

Donovan alleges the damage included a 70-year-old family dining table, a Franciscan pottery set, chipped bathroom tile, stained sheets, a scratched washer and other household items.

“Imagine you go into your house, and everything in every drawer is gone and there’s new stuff there,” Donovan said. “They came in and put everything back in a new place. Silverware in a new drawer or a different room. It was like they completely moved everything.”

In 2024, Vogt, who founded The Bot Company with Paril Jain, who led the AI tech team at Tesla, and former Cruise software engineer Luke Holoubek, posted an excited message on X about his latest venture.

“We’re building bots that do chores so you don’t have to. Everyone is busy. Bots can help,” Vogt posted at the time.

“So many things compete for our time – commutes, longer working hours, and the complexities of modern life. Our team has spent years building robots (including the self-driving kind) that give people some of that time back, and we’re taking that a step further with this company,” he added.

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