"live, work, and play in close physical proximity to the fertile grounds of the Bay Area"
Among other problems, how will people on this ship take advantage of the "fertile grounds of the Bay Area" when the CBP agents at the port catch on to the fact that anyone coming from that ship is probably coming into the city for business meetings (as opposed to touristic purposes) and purposefully skirting various bits of immigration law?
I know to be wary of DHS/CBP arbitrariness, but they aren't against all visits, just those that run afoul of often-stupid regulations.
If they know...
• the ship itself has no contraband
• the business visits are short in duration
• the presence of the ship (and the ship's economic interests) makes it even more likely you'll stay exactly for your stated duration and no longer
• the employment technically is outside US jurisdiction
...they might actually prefer orderly visits from a ship, over more complicated less-understood visits from faraway. Provide CBP with a non-threatening, transparent, technically-compliant model they can understand, and they may not be your enemy.
You can I believe go to business meetings on a tourist visa if you are not being paid. Eg as a UK citizen I have often been to the US for meetings. Not paid work though. So meeting your VC or customers is fine. Service businesses would be out.
Among other problems, how will people on this ship take advantage of the "fertile grounds of the Bay Area" when the CBP agents at the port catch on to the fact that anyone coming from that ship is probably coming into the city for business meetings (as opposed to touristic purposes) and purposefully skirting various bits of immigration law?