In October 2024, I have attended two major tech scene events. First was the OpenAI Dev Day in San Francisco and the other was the LA Tech Week. You probably already know that at this Day Day, OpenAI released some cool stuff like voice-to-voice, or the new o1 model.
I was most impressed with their new distillation tool, but I’ll write on that some other time.
In this blog I want to share some impressions on the communities at both events. While both SF and LA are brimming with innovation, the crowds and networking experiences were completely different.
People are receptive to completely different things, and clearly location matters. Isn’t it strange in an age where everyone lives on the internet anyway?
The San Francisco Vibe: Quirky Professionalism
I didn’t actually like SF as a whole. On the day I arrived I texted a friend that “everyone here is either homeless or head to toe in lycra”. I stayed near the venue in an apparently once good district where now entire wings of shopping malls were empty and it wasn’t much better with street shops or pubs either.
I liked the vibe of the dev day, though. It was really easy to connect with people as everyone was a bit quirky and quite into what they were doing. In this environment, it’s easy for relationships to develop beyond superficial small talk.
Attendees seemed to appreciate diverse backgrounds rather than asking if you’re local and checking out once they’d find you’re not. It did feel like a space where being authentic and slightly unconventional was valued, but I think the reality was that people were simply interested in what you’re doing because they were interested in developing AI tools.
The LA Experience: Loud and Outspoken
In stark contrast, LA Tech Week was a completely a different dynamic. I am so happy that I kicked it off with AI LA’s hackaton which was amazing.
I met some really interesting people there with whom I vibed quite well. The rest of the week was mostly just tiring as LA people were a bit too normy for an easy, professional conversation. It was pretty clear that this city prioritized a louder, go-getter personality type.
Someone who shows up, gets everyone’s attention, boldly asks for 2 MM USD of funding and when the VCs find out that this person knows a bunch of celebrities, they will actually provide that funding regardless of business models or skills. The emphasis in LA was really on first impression, small talk dominated the interactions, and your ideas and skills were worth nothing without a network of people with giant audiences.
In short, the week in LA really showed me how much I prefer the pre-startup way of doing business where you develop relationships and cashflow rather than just buzz.
Conclusion: Embracing the Differences
Ultimately, both San Francisco and LA have their unique merits, but my experiences led me to favor the quirky professionalism of SF over the superficiality that sometimes characterizes LA Tech Week. Both locations undoubtedly offer incredible opportunities for innovation and partnership, but the method of connection varies greatly.
In the end, whether you lean towards the quirky yet professional aura of San Francisco or the loud, bold spirit of LA, it’s all about finding your tribe—the people who resonate with your values, ideas, and outlook on business development.
I think it’s still worth it to be your authentic self. In the end, why beg some VC dude for financial help when you can always 10x the waves on some crypto market?
