San Francisco Unsafe for YC founders

[pmsh]

I’ve been following the news and even the tweets of all the YC partners and founders who live in San Francisco. They are really into the politics of their city and fighting to see it become better. However, isn’t it a bit disturbing that YC keeps pushing for founders to set up their companies in SF? Last week they made a video all about this and said startups are way more likely to succeed in SF because of the networking opportunities with other founders and investors.
The problem is, for foreigners especially, the U.S gun laws are scary but people are still willing to move just to see that their startup succeeds. However, SF in particular keeps getting worse & worse. The crime rates are so high, accommodation is so expensive, the city is dilapidating and many startups would rather be remote. So many of the top companies are also moving out of SF and going to other states.
I think safety is so important, especially for foreigners trying to setup a business in the U.S, as well as culturally adjust to the country. Seems like many startups would rather setup in some other states but due to YC constantly mentioning that the odds of failure outside SF are higher, founders become scared and decide to live in the crime infested city.

 

[hedowns]

@pmsh Bay Area native here, yea it’s gotten bad and anyone who willingly denies this fact is lying to themselves. The city has never had this frequent of robberies, unkept streets, and a mono-emphasis on one industry (tech). It’s truly depressing to watch, but it’s also a result of “forward” thinking (regressive in application, progressive on paper) from 2010s till Covid from people voting who aren’t really even from the SFBA. Most people come to SF and the Bay for work from other parts of the US and vote without thinking about the policies they’re voting in. Just look at Dean Preston for example, he’s just one example of many around the city voted in based on hopes and wishes without any impactful delivery or rise in safety standards.

What I would tell someone coming into SF: it’s easy to get caught up in the “cult” mindset or follower mentality of everyone telling you what to think, vote, and believe. Often times for some your job may rely on this. The easy solution is to move somewhere in the city that is safer, you will find bright, kind, and helpful people all over regardless. Your network and success is not directly bound to just being in a city, it’s bound to how you maneuver and establish yourself in it. So do not be scared, be smart, think for yourself, keep an eye out, and keep building! Hope this helps

Edit: no, this is not Garry’s burner lol

 

[rethink88]

@pmsh There are plenty of safe areas and SF is still a fantastic world class city that tourists flock too. More than the crime situation, it is a bit disheartening to see the large numbers of homeless people just about everywhere.

The governor at least seems serious about cracking down on drug related crime and brought in many state resources to help but I don’t know if the situation is getting any better.

 

[singflatly]

@rethink88 Which tourists are flocking to SF?

 

[jesuspleasesaveme]

@pmsh YC doesn’t say SF. They say Bay Area. Been in the bay my entire life, and the rest of the place, with a few exceptions, is top notch.

 

[amthuc]

@pmsh The Bay Area includes multiple other cities that have vastly lower crime rates.

Gun Laws aren't a big problem in California, we have quite strict gun laws.

The Bay is absolutely beautiful, SF is just terrible, as someone who's lived here for a decade.

 

[bmag777]

@amthuc Hey bro! What’s some other place in the Bay Area you recommend to live in? I was thinking about Palo Alto but not sure if there is a good downtown with a great walkability there u know

 

[qmedic]

@bmag777 basically other than san jose oakland and san francisco no other city has a real downtown. san francisco is probably the only walkable place in SFBA. if you're gonna live in the valley you absolutely need a car. valley cities are pretty chill, clean and comfy but there's no fun, they're all more or less the same, just lots of rich people being rich.

 

[bmag777]

@qmedic But Is downtown San Jose and Oakland like Sf? I’ve been living in the financial district and looking for a safer but similar place

 

[amthuc]

@bmag777 San Jose has less crime.

Oakland & SF are zombie cities lol.

 

[jamesc837]

@pmsh Get someone else to fund your idea, plenty of other incubators

 

[savedsinner777]

@pmsh That YC video on San Francisco was cringe. It's a great city that is greatly mismanaged. Like any large city, it requires an awareness of your surroundings or being street smart. No big deal. As a founder, you must make good decision for your business - that is a big deal. Pre-seed, it can be argued that all you need is wifi and and a laptop. There's no need to be here. You should be working.

YC's argument about networking and the center of everything tech yadda yadda is only valid once you made it past that stage. Once you have something more tangible, presentable, challengeable to show then I'd consider visiting the Bay Area for investor meetings and selected networking events. That will help you understand how much external influence is necessary to succeed with your business, and, whether this external influence needs to come with a San Francisco price tag.

Would I live here if this wasn't home? Unclear. Other States in the US are more affordable and equally supportive of founders/entrepreneurs. Other countries are equally appealing when you think of weather, food, affordability, and intellectual exchange. Think of Europe, Israel or even Vietnam, Bali, and Australia. It all comes back to your intrinsic ability to make good decisions for your business, not because an external voice is irritating you.

 

[nehemiah126]

@pmsh you know there are also surrounding cities right?

 

[psalm9one]

@pmsh I would first try to be close to users wherever they are. Everything else is manageable including Bay Area. If you have something which has good traction, you know which place is better for your business. Just going to Bay Area almost like getting access to nice part store and mechanics but not the engine which is your users. That’s my theory. Lol.

 

[elijah2017]

@pmsh If you get accepted to YC maybe move there for the duration of the program. The 3-month length will give you time to network with founders and investors. When the program ends go live in a city that you want to live in regardless of what YC promotes on their youtube channel.

By the way, Paul Graham will probably agree with you. SF is not safe. Check his recent tweet

https://twitter.com/x/status/1691678211011490291

 

[bveselka]

@pmsh these things are all true:

• ⁠homelessness is a serious problem in SF
• ⁠property crime got worse during COVID (and it was already bad)
• ⁠The Financial District is much emptier than it used to be on weekdays, and this has caused a lot of businesses that catered to the office crowd to close
• ⁠Union Square retail has dried up in a big way
• ⁠San Francisco is still a statistically safe city
• ⁠Most neighborhoods in the city are doing just fine, some seem to be doing even better than in 2019
• ⁠San Francisco still is, and always has been, a very fun and interesting place to spend time

edit:
• ⁠And if you just spend time on reddit, you will get a very misleading impression of what it's actually like to spend time here. In part because "if it bleeds, it leads," and in part because there are in fact people in this subreddit who comment about crime and decry our politics who do not actually live here and are just pushing a political agenda. (One of them is in this very thread, admitting it - and they have a long post history of engaging in crime posts on reddit).
• ⁠There's also a self-perpetuating cycle once the crime posting gets prevalent enough. People engage with reddit when the content is relevant to them. People who spend most of their time out enjoying the city tend to not feel the content on reddit is relevant to them when it gets so heavily focused on crime. So they stop posting here. This makes some reddit posts even more biased towards crime. Then the people who are hyper-focused on crime start to feel like reddit is relevant to them - like it's one of the only places where you can talk about "the reality" of the city. Repeat ad nauseum and soon reddit makes the city look like a hellscape, completely at odds with what you'll experience as an average person going outside.

 

[beautifulbaker12]

@pmsh I've lived in the Bay Area in the past and visit SF now and then. Yes, it's gotten less appealing in some ways but what you're saying about it being unsafe is greatly exaggerated.

Do some research on good places to live in SF Bay Area or SF City.

There are good and safe pockets in both SF City and the Bay Area. The Bay Area is mostly relatively sane, safe and clean as compared to some parts of SF City.

I don't see safety as an issue as long as you pick the right areas. I don't think I've ever had to worry about guns while I was living there.

The most common thing to happen is a car break-in in some areas and that can be mitigated as well.

 

[delistuff]

@pmsh If that is your idea of SF it is unfortunate to say that you have been a victim of propaganda. SF epitomizes liberal policies, so it’s often attacked by various conservative groups.

Does it have crime, yes. Are parts of downtown dilapidated? Yes. But it is, by far, not the hellhole it is described to be. There are plenty of safe, and often beautiful places to go to, and the tech community here IS still the best in the world.

I wouldn’t be scared.

 

[f41thful1]

@pmsh The interesting thing about politics in the US is that when it comes to national policy the Democrats are the only sane option, but when it comes to city-level policies (stuff like homelessness and crime) the left-position is not the best option.

 

[michaela89]

@pmsh Damn! I'll be in SF for a couple of months starting September. Was thinking of booking an AirBnb near Mission District (Mission 18th and San Carlos street to be exact). So for those of y'all who stay in SF, Is this part safe ? If not, what are my other options ? Will mostly be there for networking and business meetings. So I'm looking for some safe neighbourhood that is centrally located and close to the BART(coz I won't be having a car).