1/ A few thoughts on what it feels like to leave the SF Bay Area after 6.5 years. I just drove for 7 hours while drinking coffee and energy drinks so this might be incoherent, but here goes
2/ The SF Bay Area (SFBA) is the most unique place on the planet. I can scarcely believe, even with my pretty conservative lifestyle, how many facets and dimensions of human physiology, psychology, culture, business, creativity, etc. etc. etc. I was exposed to almost w/out effort
3/ It's a pressure cooker + laboratory + sci-fi story + bizarro theatre + intellectual chaos machine + human zoo that defies description. Every aspect of human existence is being experimented with and deconstructed and reinvented, all at once, by many of the same people
4/ I have the sense that my identity was fragmented into tiny pieces, each piece virtualized & digitalized, forced to fight each other, with the winners evolving through adversarial machine learning algorithms & then rebroadcast as memes
5/ It's honestly exhausting at a deep ontological level. Humans weren't meant to have that much optionality in who they can be. I often have the sense I could be anyone, but no specific person in particular
6/ I feel like I've developed way too much self-awareness. I genuinely know too much about status games, projection and sublimation, micro-expressions and aggressions, cognitive biases, perceptual loops, etc. to really enjoy anything
7/ The analytical/action-oriented part of my brain is way over-developed, to the point that I find it hard to be playful, silly, bored. Not that I blame the SFBA for that. But my point is that the culture accelerates and magnifies whichever part of your self you offer up
8/ I'm really grateful for the friends I made through "intensive experiences." I think it's the only way to make true friends there, because ppl are way too self-selected into micro-niches to just hang out for no reason. Plus it's hard to get around so you have to be motivated
9/ I'm struck by how much more two-sided and nuanced my understanding of tech and its impact has become. I came in so innocent and naive. Knowing some of what goes on behind the scenes has really shaped my perception of tech, and I'm wary of it
10/ I'm amazed how many online friends/collaborators I gained while living there, who I don't think I would have met otherwise. SFBA is the first online-first physical city, so your social life is conducted largely online even while living there
11/ It was also the absolute best possible place to start a business. The density & speed of ideas is epic. So much competition on so many dimensions, so you have to work hard to survive. But everyone is so generous with time and advice, you can learn from all of them
12/ My only regret is not spending more time w/ people. My work was my #1 priority during this period, but looking back I would have liked to deepen relationships more. Not that there's no more chance to, but the concentration of interesting/unusual ppl is hard to find elsewhere
13/ My advice to newcomers? Go to lots of events, meetups, parties, salons, conferences, retreats. The more niche ones, on unusual or fringe topics. Go deep into 2-3 of them, eating up everything they have to offer, becoming a leader, developing mastery
14/ Ask everyone doing something interesting out to lunch or coffee. More will say yes than you can imagine, though you'll have to do some commuting. Ask them for things, ask them what they would do differently, what you can help them with, what they're most excited about
15/ And take risks. There's no place on Earth where the upside so dwarfs the downside. Everyone is looking, hoping for, expecting the next big thing. And they have the power to MAKE you the next big thing, so you only need to fake it for a little while
16/ And come here. Don't listen to the news reports that make it sound unbearably expensive, dangerous, impoverished, or crowded. Life is wonderful there, you can find ways to live cheaply, and the nature/restaurants/culture are incredible
17/ I think that's all. Mostly I'm just unbearably grateful I got to experience the SFBA and Silicon Valley during what I think will one day be considered its golden age. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you to everyone who was a part of the experience. And I'll be back!
