The old SF tech scene is dead. What it’s morphing into is sinister.
The old SF tech scene is dead. What it’s morphing into is sinister.
The article, "The old SF tech scene is dead. What it’s morphing into is sinister.", published by SFGATE and authored by Ariana Bindman, laments the transformation of San Francisco's tech landscape. It describes a shift from a "quaint" era of diverse, "mission-based" startups in the mid-2010s to a present dominated by ominous AI companies. The author highlights the pervasive, dystopian AI billboards, widespread layoffs in favor of AI investment, and the perceived indifference of tech executives to the societal and environmental consequences of their creations. The article concludes by expressing deep unease about this unsettling trajectory for San Francisco and the wider world, stating that the tech scene, once a source of absurdity, is now terrifying.
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the AI billboards definitely do bring down joy of any venture into the city.
with that said, this conclusion is a journey that started a long time before the hype of generative AI. much like the pandemic didn't create jobs reliant on video conferencing, it just gave it momentum and fuel to the next stage. VCs and large corporations have consistently placed a lower value on it's employees and society at large when it comes to profits and growth.
one vision this article makes me hope for is that image of São Paulo of a before and after the city's decree to remove billboards and advertising.
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