This Is Your Life In Silicon Valley

Dennis Herrera is the elected City Attorney of San Francisco. He's also a straight shooter. In this can't-miss episode, we talk to Dennis about which company is the most harmful to San Francisco (we get a surprisingly candid answer). We also ask him about the growing divide between tech and government. Herrera spends some time talking about the perceptions tech may have about government and vice versa, and how to fix them. He talks about what CEO is a force for good within the city and spends time recounting his journey from the East Coast to San Francisco. Herrera talks about his mayoral bid in one of the most famous San Francisco elections of all time. We spend time talking to Dennis about public transportation in San Francisco - and what issues are specific to the city, and which issues are more overarching.

Mike Isaac is in charge of covering Uber for the New York Times. He’s covered the company extensively for the past several years and is publishing what will be considered the definitive book on the company. He’s also hilarious on Twitter. We host Mike and ask him how press leaks occur - what the anatomy of a press leak is and how information gets communicated (and why). Mike explains why leaks are sometimes just symptoms of much larger problems at companies. We also have a long chat about journalism in general, and how stories inevitably lead to other stories. We speak extensively with Mike about Uber - and why the company receives such bad press relative to its competitors. We talk about his upcoming book, the Uber IPO, and what he would ask Travis Kalanick if he agreed to a sit-down interview.

Christina Stembel is from a small town in Indiana. She's now the CEO and Founder of Farmgirl Flowers - a popular flower company that gained notoriety as part of the 'Instagram generation' of brands. But Christina's story isn't very typical of Silicon Valley - she completely debunks typical Founder mythology. We talk to Christina about the start to her career, which was in the hospitality industry. If you've ever stayed at a hotel, or plan on doing it in the future, you'll want to know the inner-workings from Christina. We talk about staying at hotels versus staying at Airbnbs, and what the nicest places to stay in San Francisco are. Christina talks about why she originally moved to San Francisco (for love), but what made her stay. She spends some time debunking Founder mythology in Silicon Valley - that you need to be passionate in order to start a company. Christina shares some shocking facts about flowers that you weren't aware of. This is a great episode.

David White is a San Francisco legend. He is the CEO of Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, which owns Flour + Water, Central Kitchen and Trick Dog. He also has a knack for telling it how it is. In the latest episode of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley', we sat down with David to ask him about the restaurant industry in San Francisco, social media, and... did Steve Jobs really get turned away at Flour + Water? David talks about his long, roundabout journey to San Francisco involving boats and international adventure. He fills us in on some of the latest difficulties running a San Francisco restaurant - most notably the labor shortage and its potentially crippling effect on owning an operating a restaurant in San Francisco. We hear David his thoughts on tech cafeterias, and why he wishes more local workers would stop to enjoy the local eating scene. David fills us in on some of his political perspectives, being a longtime resident of San Francisco, and of course the infamour Steve Jobs Flour + Water incident. Did

Suhas Patil is a Silicon Valley legend, and an immigrant. He is a multiple-time successful Founder, and created the largest networking organization in the Valley - The Indus Entrepreneurs. Like father, like son - DJ - Suhas' son, is one of the most influential figures in technology today. We learn a bit more about Suhas' legacy, and how he paved the way for the success for generations to come. We learn in this interview how hard it was for Suhas to make it as an immigrant. The perceptions that came with being an immigrant in the late 60s, and the nuances of his journey. It was not easy. DJ in turn gained an appreciation of what it took to replicate the success of his father. DJ went on to become the first ever Chief Data Scientist of the United States. But the path wasn't a straight line for DJ - what did his father teach him along the way, and what was it like to witness the creation of TiE? This podcast was originally piloted with NPR - we are releasing today on This is Your Life in Silicon Valley. It's a

Veronica Belmont is an Internet superstar and San Francisco resident. She also just got a tattoo. We talk to Veronica about everything San Francisco - from scooters to philanthropy to who our benevolent dictator should be. Veronica is a true Internet native. She was podcasting before it was a thing, and she was one of the first social media superstars. We talk to Veronica about virtual connections vs. 'real' connections and if it's even possible to draw a distinction anymore. What's it like to make friends online, and meet someone in real life after years? Are those relationships any less authentic? We talk about a wide variety of civic issues, including the amount of money big tech has. And everyone's favorite discussion - the 'scooter' problem, and what we should do with them. Veronica spends some time talking about the mayoral race (this was recorded just prior to the mayoral election), and gives her vote as to who would could fix San Francisco. We hear about Veronica's new tattoo, and her favorite social

Molly Wood is one of the top journalists in the Bay Area. We talk to Molly about her journey here from Montana, who it's absolutely impossible to cover, and whether tech billionaires are just like 'regular people'. Molly has covered some of the top personalities, and the top companies in technology. She knows just about everyone in the world of tech, and has seen some pretty interesting things. Molly talks about why it's hard to cover Apple, Jeff Bezos, and why Elon Musk is the 'white whale' for most journalists. We even talk to Molly about running afoul of Apple's PR and what it's like when someone who keeps secrets from her 'switches sides'. Molly provides her perspective on Montana, which has changed quite a bit since when she grew up. We talk about the infamous lawmaker who body slammed a reporter - and his own roots being a technology billionaire, and entrepreneur. Molly is trying to sell her car. We also an invent a new business term with her, which we are hoping to patent at some point. You don't want

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 blockbus

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

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.

Antonio García Martínez is no stranger to controversy. He sold a company, was a key architect of Facebook's advertising products, wrote a bestselling book (which was critical of some of his old colleagues), and now lives in a yurt in Washington. Put lightly, he has some strong opinions. García Martínez eloquently explains some of his own experiences in San Francisco, how he would solve some of the city's biggest problems, and how privilege doesn't insulate you from problems. The conversation bounces from subject to subject in frenetic style. We hear about García Martínez' upbringing in Miami, his time at Goldman Sachs, and his experience at Facebook. García Martínez finds himself - at times - in the position of defending his old employer (whereas in his book he comes off as critical of Facebook). This is a must-listen interview.

Keith Spencer is a cover editor, and Nicole Karlis is a news writer at Salon. They took vastly different paths to get to San Francisco, and have some strong perspectives on how the city can be saved. Nicole arrived in San Francisco from the midwest where she studied journalism. She began her career in the Bay Area in tech, but her experience soured and she left for India. She returned to the city and her trip abroad shaped her views on what she wanted to do next. We learn about Nicole's journey to the Bay Area, and how her views have changed over time. Keith is a fourth generation San Franciscan. He lives and breathes San Francisco. His relatives have seen the ups and downs of living here, and he could have followed multiple paths. We learn about why Keith ended up where he is, and what his perspective is on fixing some of the problems that ail the city.

Rick Marini moved to San Francisco from the East Coast and is living the Silicon Valley dream. He's a successful entrepreneur who has built a great life in a beautiful city. But the City is far from perfect. Rick talks about his views on San Francisco politics, what it's like to be a homeowner in a city where home ownership is unattainable by many, and what the future holds for San Francisco. As it turns out, living here is not all that straightforward. What happens when someone overstays their welcome? What's it like raising kids here? There are plusses and minuses, and not everyone holds the same views.

James Currier is a serial entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley. When you hear words like 'virality' and 'network effects' thrown around my tech companies and employees - keep in mind that James pioneered many of these concepts. So how in James' eyes has the Valley changed with the onset of celebrity culture? What has he seen through boom and bust cycles here? We spent an extensive amount of time talking to James about some of your favorite companies (Uber/Lyft), the changing notion of 'status' in the Silicon Valley, and what the future potentially holds. James is a candid, forthright guy who pulls no punches in this must-listen edition of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley'.

Jessica Alter woke up on Wednesday Morning, the 9th of November 2016, and did not take a 'mental health day'. She got to work. What started as a Google Doc to organize like-minded individuals ended up becoming a large scale progressive movement called Tech For Campaigns. Alter, a multiple time technology founder and executive, began using techniques she learned during her time in industry to consolidate large groups of people. Alter's organization has influenced multiple elections, and she's just getting started. How did she start Tech for Campaigns? What's her take on the tech industry, Silicon Valley and politics? We learn more in this episode.

Aarti Shahani has one of the most famous voices in Silicon Valley. She joins us for this week's edition to talk about her experience moving from New York to San Francisco, and some of the ins and outs of covering the tech scene here. Shahani covers some of the biggest, most powerful companies in the world. What has she learned in the process? Are people here actually transparent? We learn that and more from Shahani, who shares some of her favorite 'twitter follows' during the interview.

Broke Ass Stuart is a famous San Franciscan from San Diego. How did he make his way here, and why did he end up running for mayor against Ed Lee? BAS runs a popular website in San Francisco and thinks often about the divide between tech and non tech. He discusses the notion of civic responsibility with us, and why it's so lacking. Is community involvement the solution to San Francisco's problems? Expect some colorful language in this episode.

Hunter Walk is a Venture Capitalist and successful operator. He's perhaps best known for being the Head of Product at a little company called Youtube. So is everything Youtube accomplished good? We talk to Hunter about that and more. We ask Hunter about tech culture, his experience moving to San Francisco, and his perspective on the infamous James Damore memo (which lit up a major controversy here in the Bay Area). Should Google have handled it any differently?

Chris Michel is a world famous photographer, whose work has been featured in National Geographic amongst others. Michel talks about how San Francisco has changed over time, including one major change that happened in 2007. And about that homeless problem - what are the solutions and what should the city be doing about it? Michel dives into several interesting topics with hosts Jascha Kaykas-Wolff and Sunil Rajaraman.

Alexia Tsotsis fell out of love with San Francisco, but fell back in love while preparing for this interview. We talk about Alexia's journey to San Francisco, and how she had a major part in the technology boom of the past decade. Alexia even has some choice catch phrases around bro culture in the city, and may add a new term or two to the vernacular.