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 Rennaissance

• December 2022 through August 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.