Anticipated OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs squeeze San Francisco real estate as six-figure tech workers struggle to compete

Food $700 Data $150 Rent $2,500 Waymos $6,000 Utility $150 someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/technology/san-francisco-tech-salaries.html?unlocked_article_code=1.t1A.p4NK.D00lnAOW_1JC&smid=url-share

The population of SF has gone up 6% over the last *25 years* despite a massive boom. 6! Alameda: 13.6%, Marin 2.6%, San Mateo 5.2%, Santa Clara 13.7%. US as a whole: 22.3%. MAINE grew faster than the whole SF metro. NEWFOUNDLAND grew faster than SF since 2000! Utter insanity 1/2

@emmymrtin competition is NIMBY boomers who have spent 50+ years blocking new housing.

the framing of "new jobs is the cause of housing problems" is not the right framing.

suggests the fix is "job destruction".

the fix is housing supply.

Bay Area housing policy is the greatest voluntary destruction of wealth ever. Just nonsense density: here's Wall Street of VC + a random pindrop in SF. Every article on the Bay Area and incomes should start "the govt makes it impossible to build anything so it's expensive". 2/2

@emmymrtin I'm not in SF, but here is a another anecdotal data point for you.

My old apartment in NYC midtown was $3,300 for 1 br. That was 2021. Now its $5,700.

Urban housing is wrecked. Everywhere.

@emmymrtin one wonders why this articles seems to place blame on two AI companies rather than address (or even mention) the structural issues that have led to such a dearth of housing supply in SF

@emmymrtin Is the solution here simply to build more housing? I understand a SFH isn’t possible in a city. I don’t think anyone should actually expect this like you wouldn’t expect in manhattan.

Is there a follow up article about why or how we got here?

@emmymrtin They must have been very picky

@Afinetheorem I wonder what unique characteristics of San Francisco has limited it's growth to 6%. Maybe some of that new fangled technology developed by the AI elites could give me a hand figuring this out.

@emmymrtin Lot more affordable in south bay

every generation of San Francisco residents must independently rediscover Austin, TX

@neerajadeshp @emmymrtin Indeed. There are no city, state, or fed policies on the horizon to fix this, & even if there were, they wouldn't fix it fast. These people should plan for what is, & move if it's in their better interest. Assume no one is ever coming to save you.

@emmymrtin That’s a skill issue.

@emmymrtin bro is making 200k and feeling poor thats genuinely unhinged

sf did something to peoples brains

@kalmoash @emmymrtin D. Personal Accountability - most of big tech RSUs make it massively +EV for you to work hard and realize because you get a interest free loan for a hyper-scaler

@luke_metro Austin is unfortunately a city of people who couldn’t make it in SF. A true midwit city.

@luke_metro And independently rediscover why it’s not a solution

@emmymrtin I'm sure more oligarch will fix this..... and if not, just more oligarch tax cuts of ~$4,000,000,000,000

for that money we could hire 4 million at $100,000 per year and for 10 years build. stuff.

but. nope.

@memphis0_ @emmymrtin yes, San Francisco is famously a town that has never before experienced a gold rush