Is San Francisco more like Paris, or New York? (Guest: Sam Lessin, Serial Entrepreneur)

07/31/18 • 26 min

Sam Lessin is one of the top minds in the technology world. He was VP of Product at Facebook, where he was instrumental in building the Facebook timeline. He's now working on a new company called Fin. But Sam is also a San Francisco resident, and has given a lot of thought as to whether the city can be fixed (and where it's headed). .

A common question people have inside of, and outside of San Francisco is: why don't people in technology use their talents toward civic responsibility and fixing some of the problems that ail San Francisco? Why is it not easy to fix homelessness, the housing crisis, transportation, and other issues that everyone talks about daily (given that the city's residents have virtually unlimited resources)?

Sam puts together some pretty compelling thoughts on San Francisco's infrastructure, down to when the city was chartered, to make an argument on how things can be fixed. A lot of what Sam describes in San Francisco is applicable to many cities in the country. Sam describes why half of the residents of San Francisco want it to be Paris, and the other half New York.

If you want to go out and make a difference and fix San Francisco - or wherever you live - consider listening to this episode first.

If you want to go out and make a difference and fix San Francisco - or wherever you live - consider listening to this episode first.

Previous Episode

Do Not Date Anyone from San Francisco (Guest: Amy Andersen, Founder of Linx Dating)

Amy Andersen is the Founder of Linx dating and a legend in Silicon Valley lore. Amy was profiled in Vanity Fair Magazine in a now-famous article about 'Cougar Night' at The Rosewood Hotel. What you don't know about Amy is that she is one of the smartest entrepreneurs you will ever meet.

In this episode, we explore the beginnings of Amy's entrepreneurial career, and how she grew to become the most famous matchmaker in the area. We learn from Amy a bit about some of the 'quirks' of the San Francisco dating scene, and why you may be better off dating someone from the Peninsula.

Amy talks about the now infamous article in Vanity Fair, and how it affected her business. We gain insight into how a matchmaker actually works, what they charge, and everything in between.

Next Episode

Your True Love May be at Another SoulCycle (Guest: Patti Stanger, The Millionaire Matchmaker)

Patti Stanger is internationally famous - she is Bravo's 'Millionaire Matchmaker'. In part 2 of our series on 'matchmaking' in Silicon Valley, Patti explains why it's so hard to find love in the Bay Area.

Patti didn't just turn into The Millionaire Matchmaker overnight. She talks about her background, her roots, and what caused her to end up in the cutthroat world of matchmaking. She did not always have millionaire clients, and it took work to get up to that point.

Patti talks about why the Clinton years were great, and why the first tech boom was a boon for her business. She even talks about how hackers make her feel. Patti gets into the nitty gritty of why there are so many 'fake' matchmakers in the game, and how to sort the real from the unreal.

The Silicon Valley has some work to do to fix the difficult trials and tribulations that come with dating here. Patti explains why your next match could be at another SoulCycle, and why you need to commit to driving if you want to find true love. This is a blockbuster episode that you won't want to miss.