iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Replies

Alfred Twu @alfredtwu.com · 14/09/2026

Do you ever think about how San Francisco basically went through an economic miracle, with multiple years of double-digit growth, and about the only thing they have to show for it is a world-famous housing crisis? Data from fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPAL...

Chart labeled Economy of San Francisco, showing rapid growth from 2011 to 2024. On the right is a chart showing the GDP per year in billions, and percentage change.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06075

Year Billion % Change
2001 $70
2002 $68 -3.5%
2003 $68 0.8%
2004 $70 2.0%
2005 $76 8.7%
2006 $81 7.5%
2007 $87 6.3%
2008 $88 1.1%
2009 $88 0.3%
2010 $92 4.6%
2011 $100 8.6%
2012 $112 11.8%
2013 $119 6.7%
2014 $131 10.3%
2015 $144 9.7%
2016 $157 9.2%
2017 $173 10.0%
2018 $189 9.4%
2019 $207 9.6%
2020 $215 3.7%
2021 $250 16.4%
2022 $246 -1.8%
2023 $259 5.3%
2024 $268 3.7%

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xander @rudel.is · 14/09/2026

Land Value Tax would fix this

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Doctor Memory @blank.org · 14/09/2026

Just thinking about it makes me want to drink heavily. At any time in the last 20 years we could have fixed this. We just... didn't.

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Eric Panzer @ericpanzer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I agree that we should have a lot more to show for it, but I think it might be worth taking a look at how San Francisco's museums, opera, symphony, music venues, sports venues, public transportation, and public spending compare to other cities of similar (or even greater) size

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Debbie Lefkowitz @foglandia.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Sigh. City is amazing.

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Next door in Silicon Valley @nextdoorsv.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If only there was an illustration of big sums of money being given to workers, who in turn, give those big sums of money to landlords and property owners!

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Alex @alexanotherone.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

All the time, I hope Upstate NY cities don't go the same way, they're doing economically better and more people are moving there and you can already see the NIMBYs crawling out of the woodwork

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CAHSR's Strongest Soldier @emoscientist.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Why does progress lead to poverty?

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David Bonowitz @dbonowitz.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I wouldn't say the "only thing," but yes: preferences, mostly revealed, sometimes admitted. SF is geographically weird, and the only way that growth was going to be sustained was to become Manhattan or Singapore, and the brahmins did not want that. With OpenAI and Anthropic both HQ'd here ...

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Hyperlexic @hyperlexic.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

the fact that we’re now on the 4th round of this IN MY POST COLLEGE LIFE just really depresses me sometimes

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David In Montréal @davidinsf.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

And a bunch of people with insane amounts of money.

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Barbara Samuels @bsamuels72.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Yes, living in a city like Baltimore at other end of spectrum I cant help but think about this & SF’s unresolved homelessness crisis.

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Veronica R.A. Le'Peltér Esq.🌹₊˚🪻 @sigmanerd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

NIMBYism is the most visible, yet at the same time, unappreciated ruinous structural killer of American prosperity for the working class. NIMBYism has unarguably played an outsized role in stifling our hottest, best cities the most, and absolutely has done damage to the politics of this country.

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Alfred Twu @alfredtwu.com · 14/09/2026

During the 2010s, San Francisco's economy grew by a sustained 9-10% a year, a speed similar to what many countries go through when they first industrialize, and a speed that is practically unheard of otherwise.

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Tyler 🏳️‍🌈 @tcoop6231.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Prop 13 is bad, actually

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Maya🚂🚃🚄🚅🚆🚇🚈🚉🚊🚝🚞🚋🚌🚎 @trains.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

the growth is so incredibly concentrated to a tiny amount of individuals and yet!

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PenguinGuy @penguinguy.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I think someone should make a comic illustrating the problem...

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diego@estupido.fyi @estupido.fyi · 14/09/2026

I think about it all the time Alfred

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accidentalflyer 🇨🇦🇹🇼🇺🇸🇺🇦 @accidentalflyer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Other than Salesforce Tower, the tallest building west of Mississippi, and upgraded Exploratorium, can't think of anything? Lot more Waymo for sure, which is a huge tourist attraction for international visitors. Recent review is better than robot taxis in China.

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tatere @tatere.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Don't forget the world famous property values!

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Count Xavier Van Damned @charlesxavier.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

You mean, why did I move back to the East Coast instead of trying to figure out how to pay more than a million to buy a house in East San Mateo?

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ellen teapot 🇨🇦🏳️‍⚧️ @ellenteapot.ca · 14/09/2026

I think once BART ridership recovers a bit more, we’re going to deeply regret the lack of core capacity planning between CBTC and a second transbay crossing

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