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The wealth inequality is acute, visible and disturbing.
(Just genuinely curious, it's not a trick question)
The wealth inequality is acute, visible and disturbing.
Is it more visible than London, for example? I know people talk about it a lot but you see some extreme wealth inequality in many big cities. (Just genuinely curious, it's not a trick question)
I've been there only for a few days in only a few neighbourhoods so keep this in mind.
There are many different neighborhoods with pretty different feels, but generally speaking I would say this: The city is dirty, there are many homeless people, public infrastructure is not great (bad roads, questionable public transit), and it is the most expensive rent in the world. Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. If you're a softwa…
It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.
There are many different neighborhoods with pretty different feels, but generally speaking I would say this: The city is dirty, there are many homeless people, public infrastructure is not great (bad roads, questionable public transit), and it is the most expensive rent in the world. Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. If you're a softwa…
> Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.
When I was first there, I felt a strong disgust towards tech. People protesting shuttles, hateful graffiti, news articles about it. Tech workers were moving in troves and driving up rent and people getting displaced. I felt like part of the problem.
Market Street is a mix of insanely wealthy and insanely poor people. Other cities around California send their homeless people to SF, so there are thousands of them and SF can't support them all. It's not uncommon to see shouting, needles, and human feces. Every time I walked down that street I felt awful I couldn't do something to help.
Meanwhile, you step inside a tech office, and you'll see luxurious decor, free lunch, Macbook Pros, and many people making top 1% income for their age. The contrast is staggering.
People I've met in tech vary from the most passionate about work I've ever met, to just there to make a great living and enjoy the nature/weather. Nothing wrong with either lifestyle. San Francisco is a beautiful little hilly city with plenty to do nearby.
It did feel like a hard place to have non-liberal values, but I think people just mean well and are passionate about improvement.
Everything is expensive. Coffee is $4-6 plus tax and tip. Groceries are double where I'm from (Seattle suburbs). Rent is crazy. Office space is crazy.
Hope that helps!
There are many different neighborhoods with pretty different feels, but generally speaking I would say this: The city is dirty, there are many homeless people, public infrastructure is not great (bad roads, questionable public transit), and it is the most expensive rent in the world. Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. If you're a softwa…
> Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.
There are many different neighborhoods with pretty different feels, but generally speaking I would say this: The city is dirty, there are many homeless people, public infrastructure is not great (bad roads, questionable public transit), and it is the most expensive rent in the world. Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. If you're a softwa…
> Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. It's interesting how many tech people dislike the company of their own kind.
gay and hippie are cultures, tech is just a job