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SF Mayor Lurie to Tech CEOs: ‘How Can We Get You Back?’
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is on a mission to bring the city’s tech industry leaders back home. During TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC event, Lurie emphasized his willingness to work with CEOs and entrepreneurs to address the city’s drug and homelessness crisis, as well as streamline permitting processes for startups.
“I’m a mayor that is picking up the phone and calling CEOs,” said Lurie. “I’m calling entrepreneurs and saying, ‘How can we keep you here?’ or ‘How can we get you back?'”
The mayor highlighted his recent efforts to address the city’s public safety concerns, including working with labor unions to secure permits for Waymo’s robotaxis at SFO airport. He emphasized that the company is not leaving San Francisco and that he has spoken with other autonomous vehicle companies about increasing their presence in the city.
Lurie believes that AI innovation is now centered in San Francisco and plans to leverage this momentum to bring more tech companies back to the city. “When we’re done, everyone’s going to be like, ‘I got to be in San Francisco. Otherwise I’m missing out.’ That’s where we’re going,” he said.
The mayor also expressed his willingness to provide tax breaks to AI companies and has already worked with industry leaders to build more offices and host conferences within the city limits. He encouraged OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to invest more in San Francisco’s arts and culture scene, stating that the company has been doing so quietly.
While some residents have raised concerns about the tech industry pushing out other communities, Lurie is convinced that autonomous vehicles are the future of transportation and plans to work with companies like Waymo to build the necessary infrastructure.
Lurie concluded by highlighting his desire to create a clear channel for businesses to communicate with city hall through the newly announced Partnership for San Francisco.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/05/sf-mayor-lurie-to-tech-ceos-how-can-we-get-you-back/
