I have been attempting to depart San Francisco since 2014. After faux retiring in 2012, I assumed it was solely logical to maneuver to a lower-cost space of the nation, like Honolulu, to save cash and be nearer to my people.

Sure, Honolulu is not low-cost, but it surely’s cheaper than San Francisco! Nonetheless, each time I attempt to depart, San Francisco pulls me again in.

Listed below are some explanation why:

• 2014: Discovered an ocean-view dwelling in San Francisco for reasonable, so I purchased it as a substitute of shopping for a way more costly ocean-view dwelling in Honolulu.
• 2017: Had our first little one, so we determined to remain for continuity. As first-time mother and father, we had sufficient stress.
• 2019: Had our second little one. There’s loads of consolation in figuring out your medical doctors when you’ve a new child.
• 2020: The pandemic pressured us to shelter in place for a number of months. Relocating to a brand new metropolis with an toddler and three-and-a-half year-old throughout a pandemic creates extra uncertainty.
• 2021: Son obtained right into a Mandarin immersion college. He is loved his expertise to date, so it is arduous to drag him out and place him in a brand new college.
• 4Q 2023: A chance to buy a dream dwelling at a extra reasonably priced worth, so we did.
• Fall 2024: The potential of going again to work full-time as soon as each youngsters are in class full-time. The job alternatives are extra plentiful in San Francisco than in Honolulu.

Having A Household Makes Leaving Any Metropolis Extra Tough

If we did not have youngsters, I am positive my spouse and I’d have relocated to Honolulu years in the past. We longed to stay a less complicated life close to the ocean in year-round heat climate. We had sufficient cash to stay comfortably, however not extravagantly.

I imagined fixing up my grandparents’ outdated farmhouse in Waianae and consuming off the land. After breakfast, we might go to the seashore to boogie board or surf. Then we might come dwelling, eat some poké, and take a nap. Then we would go for a late afternoon hike.

Though we might lose all standing and status, we might be mentally and bodily more healthy and happier! Not a nasty commerce over simply being profitable. Alas, we had youngsters, that are a blessing.

After you have a household, inertia makes it very arduous to relocate. Your home, college, buddies, community, and healthcare suppliers all preserve you stationary.

Why I Love San Francisco

Apart from America, I’ve lived between 6 months and 4 years in six different international locations. I’ve additionally visited over 150 cities worldwide. San Francisco is on my record of the highest 5 greatest cities on this planet.

Listed below are the explanation why:

• The climate is delicate year-round, which is nice for exercising open air.
• Town and the encompassing area are lovely, particularly in the event you can stay in a house with views.
• Napa/Sonoma Valley are solely an hour and quarter-hour away.
• Lake Tahoe has world-class snowboarding/snowboarding 3.5 hours away.
• Nearer to Hawaii and Asia than cities on the East Coast.
• Unbelievable universities comparable to Berkeley, Stanford, UCSF, Santa Clara, and so forth
• All the time a prime three culinary metropolis in America
• Bountiful job and consulting alternatives that pay properly
• One of the crucial numerous cities on this planet
• One of many least expensive worldwide cities on this planet
• Tons of leisure, like tennis tournaments, entertainers, and artwork reveals come right here

Why I Dislike San Francisco

In fact, no metropolis is ideal. Listed below are some explanation why I dislike San Francisco:

• Some corrupt metropolis officers
• Authorities waste
• Crime and homelessness
• Excessive value of residing
• Intense hustle tradition in some industries
• Forms with regards to getting issues completed

However the actuality is, each single metropolis has these bullet factors to varied levels. The one factor I like about Honolulu over San Francisco is the dearth of hustle tradition. As soon as you have left an intense profession, you will not need to be continuously surrounded by go-getters.

Pleasure Is What Retains Me In San Francisco

I’ve gone by way of the professionals and cons of San Francisco many occasions earlier than. However what I spotted most lately is that pleasure is without doubt one of the primary explanation why I stay in San Francisco.

As somebody who simply will get bored, I should be in a vibrant metropolis the place there’s one thing thrilling all the time occurring. Let me share a few examples.

1) APEC Comes To San Francisco

San Francisco lately hosted APEC, the Asia Pacific Financial Council. President Biden, China’s President Xi, and a bunch of different world leaders got here to hob knob.

As an Asian one who lived in The Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia till highschool, it was thrilling to see 21 APEC leaders come to city and construct relationships. Listed below are some pictures of who got here to San Francisco for APEC.

Not solely have been world political leaders on the town however so have been prime musicians like Sting and Yoshiki serenading Marc Benioff (Founding father of Salesforce) and different luminaries at his occasion. Elon Musk got here to city as properly.

The world’s media was targeted on San Francisco for 2 weeks. The highlight brings in additional curiosity, extra investments, extra jobs, and extra demand to go to and stay within the metropolis.

It is arduous to depart San Francisco when you recognize many individuals need to stay right here.

2) OpenAI CEO Firing Debacle

After APEC ended, OpenAI’s board voted its CEO, Sam Altman out for an unspecified purpose. After Atman’s firing, there was an enormous outcry of help from the VC and tech group. Greg Brockton, the President stop, together with a number of senior researchers. In consequence, the board is beneath immense stress to resign and reinstate Altman as CEO.

In the event you’ve watched Succession on HBO, the whole OpenAI debacle feels just like the present on hyperspeed. Thrilling and interesting to watch!

As soon as once more, the whole tech world is targeted on what the heck is occurring in San Francisco with the most important synthetic intelligence firm on this planet.

For a fast overview of what is going on on at OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT:

1. Altman clashed with the board on the course of the corporate (e.g. earnings vs. non-profit, AI security, velocity of improvement of know-how, Altman wanting to begin one other firm, and so forth)
2. Energy wrestle between Altman and Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist
3. In a coup by Sutskever, on a Google Meet, “Ilya informed Sam he was being fired and that the information was going out very quickly.” Shortly after, Brockman was informed he was being faraway from his place as chairman of the board however would maintain on to his position as president. 
4. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella discovered concerning the board’s resolution similar to the remainder of us on Twitter, regardless of having invested over $10 billion in OpenAI. Apparently, regardless of the funding quantity, Microsoft does not have a board seat.
5. OpenAI workers have been on the cusp of with the ability to promote their shares at a staggering $86 billion valuation. However now that valuation quantity is wanting suspect. OpenAI’s board might have torched tens of billions in shareholder worth.
6. Now OpenAI’s board is beneath stress to reinstate Altman, who’s contemplating coming again if the board is eliminated. However he’s not! Emmett Shear from Twitch is now CEO.
7. Altman is becoming a member of Microsoft to steer a brand new AI mission. Working for giant tech looks like a disappointment for Altman, however a win for Microsoft to regulate extra items and get an in-house AI know-how.

In the event you’ve lived in San Francisco since 2001, as I’ve, you inevitably will know folks concerned on this drama. How may you allow?

Be In The Proper Place At The Proper Time To Get Wealthy

Half the battle of getting wealthy and/or getting forward is being in the best place on the proper time. When you may simply meet decision-makers in particular person, it is a lot simpler to construct relationships. And when you’ve good relationships, life will get simpler.

I am speaking about getting a job or a consulting gig, getting your youngsters into college, elevating cash in your firm or fund, beginning a enterprise, and extra. In the event you’re a useful and comparatively good particular person, you’re going to get farther forward than those that aren’t.

Arduous To Get Again In As soon as You Go away San Francisco

In the event you depart San Francisco, like many did in the course of the pandemic, there is a concern you may by no means have the ability to get again in.

The job you vacated can have been taken by a hungry colleague. Your community will neglect about you as soon as you allow. And the prime property you owned can be scooped up by one other household and never be accessible for the following 30 years!

I’ve lived in San Francisco since 2001 as a result of I felt the tech/web growth was right here to remain. Sure, the dotcom bubble had burst in March 2000, however the groundwork was laid for Net 2.0.

Given I could not get a job in tech, I purchased public tech firm shares. Then I purchased as a lot San Francisco actual property as I may afford. Picks and shovels for individuals who’ve been shut out!

It appears apparent that synthetic intelligence will revolutionize the world once more. Nonetheless, this time, the stakes could also be even larger as a result of AI may remove my youngsters’s jobs in addition to yours.

Worry Retains Me In San Francisco

With Net 1.0 and a pair of.0 firms, there was a better risk of getting wealthy by becoming a member of these firms or investing in them after they went public.

However with synthetic intelligence, there looks like much less alternative given fewer persons are wanted to scale. These non-public AI firms are staying non-public for longer, shutting out public buyers. As well as, synthetic intelligence is a direct assault on eliminating jobs in lots of industries!

By staying in San Francisco, I really feel like I am appearing as a loyal soldier of the Night time’s Watch within the Recreation of Thrones. The White Walkers are coming to destroy us, it is solely a matter of time when. However once they do, I need to be right here to defend my household!

AI is just like the Night time King

I am all the time pondering 10+ years forward as a result of you need to if you wish to successfully plan in your future. With a 3 and six-year-old, I am involved for his or her futures.

From Non-Revenue To Mega Earnings In AI

OpenAI went from being a non-profit whose mission was to assist humanity to being a for-profit firm price $86 billion and largely owned by Microsoft.

Huh?

It doesn’t matter what the OpenAI leaders say, the explanation why the corporate turned a for-profit firm was to make tons of cash for its leaders, homeowners, and workers.

That is Capitalism 101!

Give it some thought. Regardless of how wealthy you already are, you may’t assist however need more cash, extra energy, and extra fame.

Take heed to all the company communicate you need from AI leaders selling a “innocent know-how” for the better good of humanity. There can be optimistic advantages from AI for positive. Nonetheless, there may also be negatives as properly, together with huge disinformation, fraud, and tens of millions of job losses.

ChatGPT and Claude.ai already scrapes the web for information and makes it their very own with out given any attribution to creators like me. But, AI people say this is not stealing. No surprise why Medium is obstructing all AI crawlers from its content material.