Reflections on Miami so far👇
1/ This city makes me feel shameless. I can wear anything, dance on the street, wear nothing, shout at the top of my lungs, and nobody will blink an eye. This is liberating!
1/ This city makes me feel shameless. I can wear anything, dance on the street, wear nothing, shout at the top of my lungs, and nobody will blink an eye. This is liberating!
2/ SF sells efficiency, but Miami sells entertainment. The connection to consumer trends & what’s hot & what will sell feels reminiscent of LA.
By contrast, SF focuses on optimizing inefficiencies in consumers’ lives, which can be shortsighted.
By contrast, SF focuses on optimizing inefficiencies in consumers’ lives, which can be shortsighted.
3/ There is zero science. Every time I’ve discussed a technical subject in depth, it’s been with a Bay Area native.
I can’t imagine building a company that requires hard technical innovation here. The non-SF-native technical conversations have been inane.
I can’t imagine building a company that requires hard technical innovation here. The non-SF-native technical conversations have been inane.
4/ This city will be a hub for behavioral innovation, not technological innovation.
Fast-growing consumer apps & consumer packaged goods, not self-driving cars or robotics.
Fast-growing consumer apps & consumer packaged goods, not self-driving cars or robotics.
5/ I encounter aspiring musicians everywhere: driving Ubers, lounging on the beach, chilling at bars. At least 5 musicians have walked up to me and struck up a conversation and played me their SoundCloud.
There’s a wonderful creative, “up and coming” energy.
There’s a wonderful creative, “up and coming” energy.
6/ There’s a lot of name-dropping and arbitrary exclusivity. In SF, status is about whether you’re working on an ambitious project. In Miami, status is about whether you got invited to the hottest party.
7/ People have incredible hustle. There’s a fair amount of dealmaking in hotel bars.
It’s also teeming with VCs. Maybe it’s because I’m here during what’s essentially a tech conference, but I’m seeing investors pitching LPs in nearly every hotel bar I work out of.
It’s also teeming with VCs. Maybe it’s because I’m here during what’s essentially a tech conference, but I’m seeing investors pitching LPs in nearly every hotel bar I work out of.
8/ You can work with a laptop anywhere. In SF, I get the evil eye for pulling my computer out in a cafe. In Miami, I’ve been working out of restaurants and hotel bars - people are very friendly and leave me alone. There’s less scarcity - there’s plenty of seating and space.
9/ It’s a night owl’s paradise. The nights are beautiful, and encourage being outside & out late with others. The days are hot, and encourage sleeping in without feeling like you’ve missed anything.
10/ It’s very loud! Motorcycles revving, planes flying overhead, hip hop or Latin American music blasting.
Being outside makes me want to dance, sing, be free. But it also makes me less inclined to stay in my room reading papers or learning a new field.
Being outside makes me want to dance, sing, be free. But it also makes me less inclined to stay in my room reading papers or learning a new field.
11/ Women get propositioned while at professional events. (Perhaps men, too! But I just haven’t seen that.) Very odd! Not something I’m used to seeing anymore. Perhaps the flip side of shamelessness.
12/ SF uses its waterfront notoriously poorly: a highway is built along the entire Pacific waterfront, preventing walkable streets and restaurants.
Miami has better waterfront usage, which makes me feel like I’m actually living in a city by the ocean.
Miami has better waterfront usage, which makes me feel like I’m actually living in a city by the ocean.
13/ Vibes are clearly a first-class consideration in Miami. Decor, seating, music - all expertly curated to achieve any feeling you want. In SF, vibe often feels completely unconsidered - spaces hastily thrown together, perhaps because it’s so hard to build, or space is limited. 
14/ Dining alone, taking your time, and pulling out your laptop are not looked down upon in Miami. People seem to find it quite novel, and are very chill. "What's the rush?" they say.
15/ Rooftops are well-used and beautiful. I’m not sure why this is so lacking in SF. Building restrictions? Old buildings? Rooftops seem to be a fantastic gathering space.
16/ Perhaps France is to America as SF is to Miami. Miami is quintessentially American at its core: laissez-faire, immigrants, newness.
SF inhabitants instead protect what they have, inhibiting change. Over time, this will cause them to fall behind.
SF inhabitants instead protect what they have, inhibiting change. Over time, this will cause them to fall behind.
17/ For some reason it feels frictionless to grab people to tag along to an event or dinner in Miami. Last minute plans get made: "I’m going here to have dinner with people, want to join?" "I'll be here for a night, drop by whenever!"
18/ Just as an immigrant may assume a different personality when returning to their home country, Miami and SF pulls a different personality out of visitors.
You’re literally a different version of yourself in Miami vs. SF.
You’re literally a different version of yourself in Miami vs. SF.
19/ This may be why travel often changes people: other cultures draw out a different version of you.
I find deep focus much harder here, but I’m also more creative. A very odd combination. Never felt so keenly how these tendencies can be at odds with each other.
I find deep focus much harder here, but I’m also more creative. A very odd combination. Never felt so keenly how these tendencies can be at odds with each other.
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