One thing (well, two actually) that popped up again and again on the SF100 was dynamic duos: successful people who enhance each other’s power and influence through collaboration and mutual support.
Some of these duos are married, like Mayor Daniel Lurie and Becca Prowda or developers Dan and Jackie Safier. Some are strictly business partners, like Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov of Waymo. In two cases, the dynamos are siblings: Dario and Daniela Amodei of Anthropic and Elena and John Duggan, the next-generation operators of the Original Joe’s restaurant empire.
Here, a rundown of San Francisco’s most powerful and influential partnerships, as chosen by the writers and editors of The Standard.
Who they are: Authors, podcasters, and longtime lit scenesters.
Why they made the list: Both accomplished writers of speculative fiction, nonfiction, and essays, together they host the podcast “Our Opinions Are Correct” and help shape our understanding of the city and what’s next.
Who they are: He is a political novice turned San Francisco mayor, elected on promises of crime reduction and post-doom-loop rebound. She is a longtime political hand, working most recently with Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Why they made the list: We chose not to put Lurie and Prowda on the SF100 as a unit (he landed on our Power Brokers list; she is on our Connectors) because while they clearly enhance each other’s profiles, they don’t explicitly work together. But it’s hard to imagine a more powerful role than mayor or a more important adviser than a well-connected, politically savvy spouse.
Who they are: The Duggan siblings are the grandchildren of Tony Rodin, who started the Italian restaurant Original Joe’s in 1937. Their parents, Marie and John Sr., ran the growing Joe’s empire before handing it to Elena and John, who have grown it even more.
Why they made the list: In a foodie city like San Francisco, Original Joe’s is a mainstay; its spinoffs (Little Original Joe’s, Elena’s, and a new Original Joe’s in Walnut Creek) keep packing in customers, landing the Duggan siblings a corner table on our Culture Movers list.
Who they are: The Amodei siblings are founders of Anthropic, a deeply funded AI company that’s taking on their former employer, OpenAI.
Why they made the list: Anchoring our C-Suites list, Dario, who holds the title of CEO, and Daniela, president, have become leading voices for AI safety. In an industry that seems more focused on domination than effective deployment, someone has to think about guardrails.
Who they are: Mawakena and Dolgov are co-CEOs of Waymo, the city’s undisputed robotaxi leader.
Why they made the list: Among everyone on our C-Suites list, whose product is more ubiquitous than those driverless Jaguars?
Who they are: The Safiers are Bay Area real estate leaders, with Dan serving as president and CEO of Prado Group and Jackie as CEO of Prometheus Real Estate Group.
Why they made the list: While they don’t technically work together, the Safiers bolster each other on our list of Builders: Prometheus is the largest apartment landlord in the Bay Area, and Prado Group is an ambitious developer.
Who they are: The Tusks are the married proprietors of the city’s most coveted dining spots: Quince, Cotogna, and Verjus.
Why they made the list: From their perch in Jackson Square, the Tusks have created some of the country’s most beloved dining establishments (Barack Obama is apparently a fan), making them shoo-ins on our list of Performers.