From The Next Web:
Stationed on the West Coast of the United States, flanked by the blue hues of the Pacific Ocean, is a city that’s home to some of the greatest companies in the world – 700 miles south of that is San Francisco.
I moved to San Francisco two years ago to work for a startup called Padlet. I love it here. It’s like being in Hollywood, but with less-good-looking people. You have the celebs, you have the scandals, you have the media frenzy. My friends back home are full of questions:
“Is it fun?”
“You think I should look for a job there?”
“How far is Vegas?”
So, here is my experience. I hope it brings the readers closer to our little valley where we are building the future*.
My day begins with a 30-minute commute to work. I take the subway. The subway system in SF is called the BART, short for Bay Area Rapid* Transit. I love the BART because it is always full of surprises. For example, yesterday, I was at the train station and bam! the train came on time.
Many drive to work. Driving in SF is like a theme park ride — the cars move bumper to bumper, the terrain is alpine, and the people around you have the temper of 10-year-olds.
Here is a pop-quiz — Which one’s an SF road and which one’s a roller-coaster?
Those with a death wish cycle to work. It is easy to spot a cyclist. If you see a guy with one side of his jeans rolled up to the shin, he is a moron; if you see a guy on a bicycle, he is a cyclist.
My office is in a neighbourhood called SoMa, short for South of Market. Many startup offices are in SoMa. The name is a tribute to the returns that investors in most of these startups will see in the long run.
SoMa is a vibrant area with a variety of establishments like Starbucks, local coffeeshops, grab-and-go coffee kiosks, and coffee trucks. It’s a shame I don’t drink coffee. It’s not that I don’t like the beverage. I just prefer not to consume anything at temperatures that would liquify my alimentary canal.
Why is coffee in SF so hot? Are people welding metal with it? The one time I asked a barista (phrased more politely, of course), I was reproached,
“Good coffee needs to be brewed at 200°F for full flavor.”
Odd! Good bread needs to be baked at 400°F but I don’t see any bakeries selling me searing dough bricks.
My company shares its office with two other companies — Buildzoom and Flexport. Judging from their names, Buildzoom manufactures high precision microscopes and Flexport ships fluorine to dentists in China. We all have a common investor named YC. YC is the venture capital arm of the YMCA. They invest in a lot of companies every year, many that seem outrageous on paper. E.g. they invested in a company called Swapbox, which, I believe, is cloud storage for swingers....MORE
