LOS ANGELES: As shares of California-based Snap Inc began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on March 2, two dozen residents of the company's adopted home of Venice Beach protested outside its offices, accusing the growing tech company of spoiling their seaside community.
Their chief complaint is that the maker of the popular mobile messaging app Snapchat is turning the stylishly funky beachfront neighbourhood of Los Angeles into an office park, driving up real estate prices and displacing working-class residents.