Key Eras of the Megascene

San Francisco's megascene has passed through a few distinct eras, each with its own macro-level causes, and cultural tendencies. These can be thought of as phases of expansion and contraction.

Layoff Renaissance

• Late 2022 through mid 2023
• Big tech layoffs during this period meant thousands of unemployed techies, flush with severance cash, and GPT-3.5 in their pockets, were let loose on San Francisco.
• This era was characterized by an immense volume of social activity. Hackathons, VC-funded parties, and "SF is so back" posted to Twitter every day of the week.
• This era was the cultural analogue of a ZIRP.

Techno-Puritan Revival

• Late 2023 through early 2025
• This era was marked by a fetishization of toil and self-deprivation, mostly for signaling purposes.
• It was common at this time to see tweets about e.g. sleeping in the office beside a massive pile of discarded Zyn tins.