AI Boom Creates Stark Wealth Divide in San Francisco

Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das described San Francisco as "pretty frenetic right now" due to extreme wealth inequality from the AI boom. In a social media post, Das estimated that around 10,000 people—founders and employees at companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia—have achieved "retirement wealth of well above $20M," while others with well-paying jobs under $500k feel they can never catch up. He noted that layoffs are widespread and many software engineers feel their skills are obsolete, leading to confusion and malaise about work's future. The post sparked reactions on X, with entrepreneur Deva Hazariga arguing that most in the post are "incredibly fortunate" and can choose happiness. Another user called the situation "pretty damn novel & also kinda nasty" because the same technology is both the lottery ticket and the threat to one's fallback.