You covered a lot of interesting ground, and the topic that really resonated with me was the idea that there is some kind of partitioning that happens between specifically NY and SF. [similar disclaimer abt anecdotal lived experiences potentially being outliers], but in my feels there are some definite different vibes about money (wealth vs capital?) and some consequences of specialization leading to self-reinforcing systems (eg academic institutions that feed into one industry vs another). Ultimately tho some of the few things I feel confident about being true beyond my own perspective is that in both places you find people on the Pareto front for nice vs kind vs high-agency with a higher probability, and the distribution of where on that front folk fall is definitely segmented.
anywho, looking forward to your next trip out. Next time let’s split the cost of those Waymo’s ;)
Great post - I'm not a fan of SF in doses of more than a week or two, but there's nothing like it for being immersed in a bombinating hive of white hot creativity and techno-Faustian will-to-summon-the-future-into-being.
We obviously need to coin just one word for that last one, but the likeliest German portmanteau is terrible for english speakers: Zukunftsbeschwörungswille.
I’m currently in the position of trying to find another tech job that pays me more than my current one, which will likely be in the Bay Area, or switching internally to my companies NYC office.
I’ve visited both cities but lived in neither, but consider myself to be more of a NYC person (I grew up an hour and a half outside of the city).
There are definitely cultural traits of SF that seem amazing to be around; ambition, nerds who love talking about tech and math (this is definitely me), etc.
But I just find it cringey to pretend 90% of these startup ideas are “changing the world” etc. Also, as I reach old age (I am 27) the fetishization of youth there feels weird. I definitely love nerding out as much as the next guy, but I’m pretty practical and pessimistic as a person.
We’ll see where things go, but I’m leaning towards NYC.
In some sense the cringe is a necessary part of the SF scene. I think cringe is often just passionate optimism. We 'cringe' from that because it reflects a certain naivete and ignorance, but on the flip side passionate optimism is necessary for crazy ideas to actually get pulled off. You'll never have a nuclear startup in new york, because anyone who is legitimately excited about how they are going to solve the world's energy problems will get dismissed for being naively cringe.
That said, I love NYC. I think everyone should live here for at least some part of their life. NYC is the world's metropolis -- its very existence is a testament to the best of liberal ideals, and proves that different people from every walk of life can come together to create amazing things.
I totally agree. I am in some ways jealous of their relentless optimism. I just mean to say for me personally, I would find it difficult to get on board
entertaining and insightful read!
You covered a lot of interesting ground, and the topic that really resonated with me was the idea that there is some kind of partitioning that happens between specifically NY and SF. [similar disclaimer abt anecdotal lived experiences potentially being outliers], but in my feels there are some definite different vibes about money (wealth vs capital?) and some consequences of specialization leading to self-reinforcing systems (eg academic institutions that feed into one industry vs another). Ultimately tho some of the few things I feel confident about being true beyond my own perspective is that in both places you find people on the Pareto front for nice vs kind vs high-agency with a higher probability, and the distribution of where on that front folk fall is definitely segmented.
anywho, looking forward to your next trip out. Next time let’s split the cost of those Waymo’s ;)
I'll be back in September 😁 the real question is if you'll still be around by then 👀
Great post - I'm not a fan of SF in doses of more than a week or two, but there's nothing like it for being immersed in a bombinating hive of white hot creativity and techno-Faustian will-to-summon-the-future-into-being.
We obviously need to coin just one word for that last one, but the likeliest German portmanteau is terrible for english speakers: Zukunftsbeschwörungswille.
I have no further ideas on this front, sadly.
It's really got it's own micro climate, in many senses of the word
🔥🔥🔥
Interesting read!
I’m currently in the position of trying to find another tech job that pays me more than my current one, which will likely be in the Bay Area, or switching internally to my companies NYC office.
I’ve visited both cities but lived in neither, but consider myself to be more of a NYC person (I grew up an hour and a half outside of the city).
There are definitely cultural traits of SF that seem amazing to be around; ambition, nerds who love talking about tech and math (this is definitely me), etc.
But I just find it cringey to pretend 90% of these startup ideas are “changing the world” etc. Also, as I reach old age (I am 27) the fetishization of youth there feels weird. I definitely love nerding out as much as the next guy, but I’m pretty practical and pessimistic as a person.
We’ll see where things go, but I’m leaning towards NYC.
In some sense the cringe is a necessary part of the SF scene. I think cringe is often just passionate optimism. We 'cringe' from that because it reflects a certain naivete and ignorance, but on the flip side passionate optimism is necessary for crazy ideas to actually get pulled off. You'll never have a nuclear startup in new york, because anyone who is legitimately excited about how they are going to solve the world's energy problems will get dismissed for being naively cringe.
That said, I love NYC. I think everyone should live here for at least some part of their life. NYC is the world's metropolis -- its very existence is a testament to the best of liberal ideals, and proves that different people from every walk of life can come together to create amazing things.
I totally agree. I am in some ways jealous of their relentless optimism. I just mean to say for me personally, I would find it difficult to get on board