In the tech capital of the world, the industry and its personalities are perpetually leaving their mark in big, small, outrageous, and eccentric ways.
Here at The Standard, we closely watch how tech shapes the culture of San Francisco. These are the 10 stories of 2024 that best captured the zeitgeist.
Junk science: Why Bay Area men are using Botox to enlarge their penises
Botox isn’t just for crow’s feet and frown lines anymore: Dudes are payng up to $10,800 to inject their dongs as a way to increase girth. The method is part of the biohacker revolution led by longevity guru Bryan Johnson, who attests that the procedure can lengthen erections, as well as genitalia.
Making the Ive Hive: Jony Ive’s bold plans to reshape a small slice of San Francisco
Former Apple exec Jony Ive has been snapping up properties in Jackson Square, spending tens of millions to build a mini-empire that spans nearly an entire block. While his plans remain under wraps (although there are rumors it could be the homebase of the iPhone killer being designed by his team), locals are embracing optimism instead of suspicion and feeling grateful for the boosted property values.
Tech CEOs are hot now, so workers are hiring $500-an-hour fashion consultants
Silicon Valley has been getting a glow-up, with CEOs like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang looking (remarkably) cool. Executives and engineers alike are hiring stylists to help them ditch their startup-branded tees and Allbirds sneakers for something a bit more sophisticated. As one VC-turned-fashion-consultant put it, “Being handsome is just a skill issue. Anyone can do it.”
Parents’ hush-hush back-to-school hack: Sending their kids off in a Waymo
Busy moms and dads are booking robot chauffeurs for their children, Waymo’s rules against minors riding alone be damned. The time savings and safety features are worth possibly getting an account banned, parents told The Standard.
Y Combinator’s Gen Z founders are coming back and learning to love San Francisco
As AI momentum reaches a fever pitch, the city is once again a hot spot for young, ambitious techies trying to make it big. Garry Tan, chief executive of startup accelerator Y Combinator, has taken a leading role in spreading the “boom loop” narrative.
SF’s biggest employer brings workers back downtown, and the neighbors are loving it
While employees might begrudge companies’ stricter policies on returning to the office, baristas and restaurant owners are celebrating the increased cappuccino orders and return of the lunch rush. The renewed influx of downtown workers was “the best-case scenario for us,” one business owner said.
Silicon Valley watch nerds are obsessed with Mark Zuckerberg’s crazy collection
Zuckerberg’s hypebeast influence doesn’t stop at gold chains: The CEO is driving a frenzy for fancy watches from niche brands. His multimillion-dollar collection has inspired both envy and imitation, with local watch dealers seeing increased sales.
High atop Salesforce Tower, a secret club for geniuses from two shadowy VCs
Near the top of San Francisco’s tallest building, a secretive private club called the Institute fashions itself a hub for elites and intellectuals to opine on humanity’s greatest challenges. It’s the literal apex of two venture capitalists’ aim to gain clout in Silicon Valley. And no, you’re not invited.
Private chefs for Silicon Valley’s elite spill the (precisely 70-degree) tea
Keeping tech royalty happily fed is no easy task. Seven private chefs dished on the picky, ridiculous, or extravagant tastes of their clients, from drinking exactly one sip of each can of Coca-Cola to using fresh fruit as props around the mansion. “Being a great private chef is mind-reading,” one cook quipped.
Based Benioff? Woke-ish Salesforce billionaire takes a right turn
From benevolent, progressive billionaire to “un-woke” social conservative? Marc Benioff has taken a shift to the right since Donald Trump’s election, though whether it’s a true change of heart or canny opportunism remains to be seen.