I make less than $500k living in San Francisco. I don’t stand to make $50m from NVIDIA, Anthropic, or OpenAI. X tells me this makes me part of the permanent underclass and that I should feel shitty about it.
And yet, the last two years since I moved to San Francisco have been the most rewarding of my personal and professional life. Here’s how I did it.
I burned the boats
I spent 2023 and 2024 going back and forth between Europe and SF. I’d come in for a few weeks or months, get ‘plugged in’ and then leave. It was killing me, and my startup.
I spent those years pivoting and having eggs thrown at me by the market. It was only when I decided to commit and go all in that things started coming together.
I forced myself to be social by living with others
When I landed, I moved into an Airbnb in the Marina while I found an apartment. I loved the area, but living there alone was isolating.
I then met Tony on a forum. Tony had exited his company to Stripe and, like me, sought community. So he took ownership and put together a house for similar-minded folks all in Daly City.
There, I also met Laurence, Luis, and countless others. Laurence taught us how to surf. They are now my best friends.
I turned to nature for hobbies.
I took up running, hiking, and kite surfing. I’ve met so many people through these communities. I don’t ‘network’ with them.
I’ve worked hard, but I’ve also played hard.
Pushing yourself to your limits outside of work teaches you there’s so much more to life.
I found my tribe
Through these interest groups, I’ve surrounded myself with people who inspire me to be my best self. I let serendipity take hold.
I date outside of tech.
I intentionally chose to date and now marry the most amazing girl from back home. We have the exact same upbringing. She keeps me grounded.
I don’t do Events. Here are my last three
My friend Marcelo’s birthday, where we played Dominican dominoes on a sunny afternoon.
My friend Gadi’s Puentes program, where we help early-career engineers get a foothold in tech
And that weekly Soccer game I help host
I brought my family over.
My brother visited, and we went on an epic road trip along the West Coast.
My parents came, we went to Napa and crashed a Beach Boys gig
I found purpose in my work.
After 3 pivots, we ended up joining Replit. My days are now filled with helping millions of people across the world create and make a living.
I did a Vipassana
10 days completely offline. It changed me.
I get therapy
Marina is a Latina in Europe, she makes me realize how abstract my daily struggles are, as I’m forced to explain them to someone who’s not ‘plugged in’. I’ve been seeing her for years, and it’s the best investment I ever make.
I help others where I can
At any given time, I have >5 people in my inbox asking for catch-up coffees. I avoid these. I still make time to help others think through problems, facilitate introductions, and share my experiences. But I do it on my terms, usually when out and about walking this cutie over a call or joint stroll.
X is not real life
There is no permanent underclass. Labor can always create capital. All you have to do is make something people want. AI just accelerates this.
Touch some fucking grass.
