There are many ways to get out of a party.
You can silently say your thanks and goodbye and go on your way. You can stay for a while to help with the cleaning. Or you can be a real idiot because of that stamping your feet and complaining that it was a terrible party anyway – even if you drank more than your share of cocktails, devoured the fancy food and stained the couch.
Unfortunately, many San Francisco technology leaders are opting for this third option. They obtained tax incentives and enjoyed proximity to talent, universities and capital during the decade-long boom. Now, they are fleeing to Austin, Miami or elsewhere as soon as things get tough.
But that is not the worst part. The worst part is criticizing San Francisco for being such a terrible host when they leave.
Jeff Lawson, founder and CEO of San Francisco’s Twilio, summoned his fellow tech titans not only for bailing out the city in the middle of a pandemic, but for being rude in leaving.
“This is the moment when we must think, ‘How do we repay? How do we help care for our communities and the people around us who may not be doing so well? ‘”, He told me on The Chronicle’s“ Fifth & Mission ”podcast. “This is not the time to be concerned with the community.”
Since we could all use a metaphorical shot in the arm – after news of how difficult it is to get a real shot in the arm here in California, despite the increase in COVID-19 – I invited Lawson to explain his optimism about San Francisco after seeing your recent Twitter topic that went viral.
“With many of the richest companies in the valley running away from the Bay Area average pandemic, I feel compelled to speak up,” the topic began. “What I question is that our leaders – people with means – leave our community when it needs us most. Reap the benefits of Silicon Valley talent, technology incubators, mentors, professional networking and culture until you no longer need them. “
🧵 With many of the wealthiest companies in the Valley fleeing the Bay’s average pandemic, I feel compelled to speak up. There is no doubt that California is imperfect. The cost of living, taxes and policies, among other things, hinder the success of many people here. (1/9)
– Jeff Lawson (@jeffiel) December 18, 2020
He said he is keeping his family and company in San Francisco and asked his fellow technology leaders to #committotothebay. He also pledged $ 8 million to Help Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that pays restaurants to provide meals for hungry people. Records show that he also gave $ 500,000 to the city’s Give2SF fund to provide relief from the pandemic.
He explained that he understands why many people and businesses are leaving San Francisco and the bay area: lower taxes, more house and yard for their money, less crime and misery on the streets, remote work allowing connections anywhere.
But he opposes wickedness as they go – especially since many technology companies thrived during the pandemic, as their teams could easily work from home and their technology became more crucial and profitable.
“What did you do to try to invest in the Bay Area?” he asked. “Were you active civically? Have you tried to use your money philanthropically to alleviate problems? I kind of doubt it. “
Twilio is a cloud communication platform that adds messages, calls and video to web and mobile apps. It employs about 3,600 people – 30% of whom are located in South of Market or Mountain View. Lawson has lived in the city for 11 years and he and his wife are raising their two children here. Forbes estimates it is worth $ 2.9 billion.
So you kind of want to hate him, but he seems much more in line with the caring and generous billionaire in the Marc Benioff style than with the disconcerting Elon Musk type.
Musk said he moved to Texas, comparing California to a champion sports team that has become complacent and has a “problem of winning for a long time”.
Startup investor Keith Rabois said it is changing because “San Francisco is managed so massively and inadequately that it is impossible to stay here”.
Orion Hindawi, a native of the Bay Area and CEO of cybersecurity company Tanium, moved his company to the Seattle area and said: “San Francisco is not the city it was 20 years ago … Blind support for a place that leaves you unhappy? It doesn’t really seem like a big decision to me. “
Joe Lonsdale, a venture capitalist who co-founded the software company Palantir, moved to Austin and wrote in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that San Francisco is a place where feces cover the streets and “abandoned” people chase people’s wives. He also said that California cities are “ugly and unpleasant”. (San Francisco has a lot of problems. Ugliness is certainly not one of them. Have you looked around?)
These guys are as nuanced as President Trump in his assessment of liberal cities like ours. And while part of what they say is true, it is not everything. In addition, our problems are much more solvable if smart people work together to solve them, instead of fleeing the city for Texas and Florida.
Also, did you notice that people tend to think that San Francisco was idyllic on the day of their arrival and has never been so good since then? Even if they didn’t support their local businesses, donate to local causes, subscribe to their local newspapers, participate in neighborhood associations, vote, volunteer, write to their representatives or do anything else to keep them well?
If you want to move, just move. There is no need for double fingers at the exit.
Lawson, on the other hand, thinks that San Francisco’s best days may be ahead and that the pandemic offered the chance for a much-needed reboot. With so many people leaving the city, rents have dropped significantly. This gives us a little time to build more houses, so that we are not so surprised when the next inevitable boom arrives.
“I hope I don’t miss this opportunity to put ourselves on a better path,” he said. “Ultimately, creating more housing offers is a way to alleviate many of the challenges that San Francisco has.”
He’s hopeful – and so am I – that San Francisco will emerge as a city with all the great features we loved before: fabulous restaurants and bars, packed Giants and Warriors games, fun shows and cultural events, a spirit of creativity and innovation. But with space for a more diverse group of people who couldn’t live here before the pandemic.
He is also hopeful that, as vaccinations increase and the virus decreases, the City will be able to step out of the “minute-by-minute catastrophe mode” and tackle all the problems they didn’t have time to solve in 2020. And think beyond next week .
“What is the five, 10, 20 year plan for the city of San Francisco?” he said.
Credit to him for staying to find out.
“This is my home,” he said. “This is where our friends are. This is where our community is. This is where my company is. When you make a home somewhere, you want to make it better. “
He’s committing himself to making it better. Me too. Is that you?
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears on Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @hknightsf Instagram: @heatherknightsf
Correction: An earlier version of this column contained incorrect information about Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk. He said he moved to Texas.