PST with Emily Dreyfuss
The San Francisco Standard
Emily Dreyfuss brings sharp wit and relentless curiosity to every conversation. As the SF Standard's culture editor and a veteran tech journalist, she's spent years inside the rooms where tech, culture, and power collide. And the more she learns, the more she wants to know. Each week on PST, Emily sits down with the creators, big thinkers, cultural shapers, and political heavyweights who are driving this moment — and the ones trying to make sense of it. From AI to identity, policy to pop culture, these are conversations that start on the West Coast on Pacific Standard Time and end up ev...
Episodes
The AI money bomb is about to hit San Francisco
Anthropic and OpenAI are headed towards record-breaking IPOs, with a wave of new AI wealth about to hit San Francisco. Who gets rich, who gets priced out, and what will the city look like after? “PST” host Emily Dreyfuss talks with Mat Honan, editor-in-chief of MIT Technology Review, about soaring home prices, what the Facebook IPO taught us, AI bubble fears, and loving a city that keeps minting millionaires. Then SF Standard reporter Emily Shugerman joins Dreyfuss to talk about how AI lab employees are becoming one of the biggest single-issue political donor blocs in the country. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Inside SlutCon: The conference teaching tech men how to talk to women
What happens when a group of self-described “sluts” decide men need help with flirting? They create SlutCon, a three-day Bay Area conference where men pay between $3,000 to $18,000 to learn how to flirt, escalate, and date without being seen as too awkward. On this episode of PST, host Emily Dreyfuss talks with SF Standard tech culture reporter Zara Stone, who attended all three days of SlutCon at Lighthaven in Berkeley. The event, co-organized by controversial sex researcher and blogger Aella, featured dozens of “flirt girls” and various training sessions like “Confidence Engineering” and “Physical Escalation." Together with Emily, Zara digs into why so many attendees, most of them from tech and AI, are terrified of being labeled a “creep”. And they explain how SlutCon got caught in the online backlash around AI safety and the rationalist community. Is SlutCon feminist, fringe, or just very Bay Area? For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
A new sexual assault allegation emerges against SF supervisor candidate Manny Yekutiel
Ryan Clark and his partner were dancing at a Pride event in 2023 when a man stumbled out of the crowd toward them. Under the flashing lights of the Midway Club, just south of Dogpatch, the man began to grope them inside and outside of their pants, the couple said — first Clark, then his partner. They repeatedly told him they were monogamous and wanted him to stop. He didn’t, they say, until they shoved him. They claim that man was Manny Yekutiel, a San Francisco cafe owner, well-known nightlife personality, and now a frontrunner in the District 8 Board of Supervisors election. While the couple acknowledged the sometimes-complicated rules of consent in gay culture, they said Yekutiel’s actions clearly defied norms of propriety. Yekutiel said he does not recall this specific encounter with Clark and apologized if he crossed any boundaries. He also denies an earlier allegation by Brad Chapin that The Standard wrote about in June. On this episode of “PST,” reporters Joe Fitzgerald Rodgriguez and Jonah Owen Lamb discuss their investigation into this alleged assault, and listeners hear from Clark in his own words about the alleged incident. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
An AI tutor is in SF’s classrooms. Parents say they had no idea
San Francisco public schools put an AI reading tutor called Amira in front of every K–5 student without telling parents. Host Emily Dreyfuss only found out when a substitute teacher mentioned it. Until then, she thought Amira was a real person. This week, SF Standard reporter Ezra Wallach joins Emily to explain what Amira is, how it arrived in SFUSD through a larger curriculum purchase, and why kids say it can't understand them. They dig into the biggest question parents have: what happens to their children's voice recordings? That includes a line about deleting voice data that quietly vanished from the district's FAQ page. They also look at how San Francisco compares to districts banning AI and phones in classrooms, and why the district hasn't answered parents' questions. Plus, Emily's sons Asa and Huxley share exactly how they feel about their AI tutor. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
In SF, two teenagers are leading the fight against Flock
By now you've probably heard of Flock: the license plate cameras that critics say have turned your daily commute into a surveillance network. Dozens of cities, from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, are pushing back – and in SF, two of the people leading that fight are 16-year-old Lowell High School juniors. Emily Dreyfuss talks with Zachary Schwartz and Hugo Zorn, the founder and outreach lead of DeFlock SF, about how a YouTube rabbit hole turned into a full-blown local movement. They discuss what Flock's automated license plate readers actually track, a recent data breach affecting hundreds of records, and the surprisingly loud pushback from Gen Z on an issue that's dividing generations. Plus: the moment they found their own protest poster going viral on TikTok, and why they're determined to keep fighting Flock even after they head off to college. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Why AI researchers are quitting – and what an ex-Googler saw first
AI company CEOs – the same people building these products – keep warning that AI could end humanity. This week it boiled over: an Anthropic researcher quit and accused his employer of endangering the world, and a current Anthropic safety lead agreed with him publicly. Host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with SF Standard tech editor Heather Kelly to explain what's really driving the AI industry's sudden wave of doomsday manifestos – regulatory capture, looming IPO paperwork, and a string of AI "misalignment" incidents. Emily then speaks to Claire Stapleton, who spent 12 years crafting Google's "don't be evil" image before helping organize the company's historic 20,000-person walkout. She talks about her new memoir, Don't Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape From Big Tech – and what it actually looks like to fall out of love with a company you once believed in. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
SF wants to be bike-friendly. Its streets say otherwise
A scooter rider in San Francisco is killed on Market Street. A CEO loses his teeth in a bike crash on Arguello. And buried in a 130-year-old newspaper clipping is proof that SF has been failing its cyclists since 1894. On this episode of PST, host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with two people living San Francisco's bike-vs-car divide from opposite sides. First, Standard reporter Garrett Leahy breaks down his investigation into the “slot" – the notorious rail gap on Market Street that's been throwing cyclists since the cable car era – and the wildly divisive reader reaction to his story. Then, SF Standard CEO Griffin Gaffney gets brutally honest about the moment a pickup truck drifted into his bike lane, the surgery that followed, and why he refuses to pick a side in the culture war between cyclists and drivers. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Bip City is dead. Who killed it?
For years, "bipping" (SF slang for car break-ins) was practically the city's signature crime – so common it inspired rap lyrics and a whole genre of "never leave anything in your car" advice. But new reporting shows car break-ins in San Francisco have plummeted since their 2017 peak . On this episode of PST, host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with SF Standard reporter Max Harrison-Caldwell to unpack his story "Rest in Peace, Bip City." They dig into where the term "bipping" came from, why it became a bizarre point of local pride, and what actually drove the steep decline – was it all thanks to the SFPD's new fleet of Flock cameras and drones? They also dive into the political fight over who deserves credit: former Mayor London Breed, current District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, or Mayor Daniel Lurie. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Beyond the hits: Dolly Parton’s lasting impact on San Francisco
Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80 – and San Francisco is mourning her like family. On this episode of PST, host Emily Dreyfuss talks with the people who felt her impact most directly here: Zulema Rubalcava of the SF Department of Early Childhood on the local chapter of Dolly's Imagination Library, which has sent nearly 10,000 SF kids free books since launching last August; Angela Vincent, who's thrown Dolly tribute nights at local bars since 2020; Jacob Stensberg, artistic director of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, on their Pride tribute show and Dolly's quiet, decades-long support of the LGBTQ+ community (including funding the 1989 Oscar-winning AIDS Quilt documentary); and Margaret Belton on what it feels like to grieve a stranger who felt like family. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
‘I feel betrayed': The new SF school that turned away its neighbors
San Francisco just opened its first brand-new elementary school in decades – Mission Bay School. But nearly 100 neighborhood families couldn't get in. Why? Because in SFUSD, even a brand-new school down the street doesn't guarantee your kid a spot. In this episode of PST, host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with SF Standard reporter Ezra Wallach to break down San Francisco's infamous school lottery, which is the enrollment system that determines where your child goes to school. Together they explain how it works, who gets priority, and why 31% of SFUSD families don't get their top school pick. They also dig into the history: how San Francisco's school choice system grew out of desegregation efforts in the 1970s, why it hasn't actually integrated schools, and why the district has been promising to fix it since 2018, with the latest timeline now pushed all the way to 2028. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
SFPD cleared only 14% of rape cases last year. We investigated why.
San Francisco is failing survivors of alleged sexual assault – and the numbers prove it. SFPD cleared just 14% of rape cases last year, which is half the national average and the lowest rate of any major county in California. SF Standard investigative reporter Anya Schultz joins host Emily Dreyfuss to break down what she found after months of digging into how the city handles rape investigations. The picture is alarming: roughly 80% of alleged rape cases are currently sitting inactive; the Special Victims Unit has lost half its investigators since 2019; and police failed to publish legally required rape kit data until Schultz's reporting forced them to comply. Schultz also shares the story of one alleged victim – an engineer in her early 20s who supposedly did everything right. When her rape kit came back as a DNA match, she expected action. Instead, the investigator emailed to say the DNA "wasn't conclusive evidence a crime occurred.” This episode covers what's driving SF's dismal clearance rates, what survivors are experiencing when they report to SFPD, and what local city supervisors are doing in response. Content warning: This episode contains extensive discussion of sexual assault. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
SF's AI billboards are making us sick. These people are fighting back.
San Francisco is blanketed in AI billboards that make no sense. And most of us have just... stopped reading them. But a few people are fighting back. This week on PST, host Emily Dreyfuss talks to three of them. Harris Alterman and Dave Ross are two New York comedians who've been plastering parody AI ads in the NYC subway ("Payroll, now in pill form." "UnderwAIr. Panties that think.”). Then, there’s Tucker Bryant, a San Francisco conceptual artist who rented a real billboard in the city's SoMa neighborhood and used it to advertise a fake chatbot – one powered not by artificial intelligence, but by himself, an “average individual." The result is a conversation about tech satire, cognitive surrender, the psychological toll of living inside someone else's hype, and what it means to crave actual human connection in a city increasingly decorated with gibberish. Plus: Emily's theory on how AI billboards hit every dimension of sociological alienation – and why that's more serious than it sounds. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
How the Marina Safeway became the flashpoint over the SF housing wars
A 22-story condo tower proposed on top of a Safeway grocery store in San Francisco’s affluent Marina District has become a flashpoint for the city’s YIMBY vs. NIMBY housing war. And a photo from a recent community meeting there showed exactly who's on which side. SF Standard reporter Kevin Nguyen joins host Emily Dreyfuss to break down the 800-unit project, why neighborhood opposition no longer has the power to kill it, and how developer Align timed their proposal to sidestep Mayor Daniel Lurie's new Family Zoning rules. Then, New York Times housing reporter (and Bay Area native) Conor Dougherty zooms out to explain how California's decade of state-level housing laws has stripped local governments of the control they once had – and why that might finally mean buildings actually get built. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Why San Francisco can’t have nice things: The 6-year Jollibee permitting saga
After six years and a bureaucratic maze involving PG&E, BART, and the Historic Preservation Commission, Jollibee has officially opened its doors on Market Street in San Francisco. In this episode of PST, host Emily Dreyfuss breaks down the full story, and what it reveals about the real cost of doing business in San Francisco. First, SF Standard food editor Lauren Saria gives a primer on Jollibee: the cult Filipino fast food chain known for its Chickenjoy fried chicken, sweet spaghetti, and the legendary peach mango pie. Lauren shares why the opening feels like a cultural milestone and not just a regular debut. Then we welcome Katy Tang from the SF Office of Small Business. Her team is in charge of enforcing the types of permitting reforms that initially plagued Jollibee. She specifically addresses the number of city-and voter-approved efforts that now help reduce headaches for small businesses, which comprise the majority of SF's commercial landscape. “We don't want a reputation that we are a difficult place to get permitting done,” she said. “We really want to encourage innovation and creativity. It's a constant state of improvement.” For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
The TV streaming era has jumped the shark. What comes next?
Is streaming television broken? Netflix is hemorrhaging second-season viewers, prices keep climbing, and the service that once felt like magic now feels like a monthly bill you forgot to cancel. Host Emily Dreyfuss — who loves television so much she actually has a TV tattoo on her arm — brings in Bloomberg’s media and entertainment editor Lucas Shaw, to diagnose what's wrong with the streaming era. Emily and Lucas get into why Netflix's second-season viewership is collapsing, whether engagement actually matters to these streaming platforms if users aren’t canceling, and the uncomfortable truth that streaming (with its ads and rising prices) is becoming the new cable. They also tackle the bigger cultural question: what happens to shared experience when everyone's watching something different? Is monoculture dead? Also: who really runs Hollywood now — Silicon Valley or the studios? For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Why AI will save the liberal arts degree (and not destroy it)
Is a liberal arts education still worth it in the age of AI? Or is college about to become obsolete? Host Emily Dreyfuss is saving up to send her two kids to a liberal arts school like Wesleyan University, where she and her husband met. But as AI promises to replace everything from coding to essay writing, she's starting to wonder: do liberal arts schools still make sense to attend? This week, Emily sits down with two Wesleyan insiders to make the case for liberal arts education. First, she talks with President Michael S. Roth about what concerns him about AI, why small classes are the new live events you can't miss, and why schools like his will thrive while big lecture-hall universities struggle. Then Emily goes inside the classroom with Lauren Silber, Wesleyan writing professor and head of its Writing Center, who launched a first-year seminar called “Writing in the Age of Gen AI.” Silber shares what a campus survey of 700 students revealed about how Gen Z actually uses AI and why she believes AI might actually save the liberal arts degree. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Digital privacy is already dire. AI could make it worse.
Cindy Cohn spent decades at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) fighting for digital rights, including taking on the NSA's mass surveillance program. Now, as AI reshapes the internet, she's sounding the alarm again. In this episode, Cohn joins host Emily Dreyfuss to talk about why the copyright lawsuits against AI companies are the wrong fight, why privacy harms are the real threat but are much harder to litigate, and what it would actually take to protect your rights in the age of ChatGPT and Claude. She also explains why the government and corporate surveillance are not separate problems, and why the number-one buyer of data broker information in the U.S. is the federal government itself. If you use AI tools and care about your privacy, this conversation is essential listening. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Emily's mom wants a sex robot. What's standing in her way?
What does it actually take to build a humanoid robot in America – and why can't we do it yet? Host Emily Dreyfuss's 79-year-old mother has been joking for years that she wants a robot companion, inspired by viral humanoid robot videos and Korean dramas. So Emily welcomes robotics reporter Kylie Robison to find out if that's even possible. Kylie is a host and writer at Core Memory who recently wrote an article titled, ‘This Is Why America Can’t Have Robots And Other Nice Things.’ On the show, Kylie breaks down actuators – the small motorized parts that let robots move – and explains why China dominates their global production. She and Emily then dig into two Bay Area startups, West Mag and Atlas Motion Systems, racing to bring actuator manufacturing back to the U.S., with OpenAI reportedly not too far behind. And they touch on whether NVIDIA's "physical intelligence" bet might mean humanoid robots are closer than we think. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Can Rupert Murdoch turn California red? He's going to try
Rupert Murdoch's empire made three major moves into California this year: launching the California Post tabloid, backing former Fox News host Steve Hilton's run for governor, and agreeing to buy San Jose-based streaming platform Roku for $22 billion. Coincidence? Or a coordinated push to reshape the most populous state in America? Host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter to unpack what's really going on. He’s the author of two books related to Murdoch’s Fox News, including ‘Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for America.’ Together they break down the Murdoch family power structure, whether the California Post is gaining traction, what a Fox-owned Roku could mean for your living room, and why California – long dismissed as liberal dystopia by Fox News – has suddenly become the empire's most important frontier. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
The California Primary is Tuesday. Who’s funding what you’ll vote for?
Voting day is around the corner, and a hell of a lot of money is changing hands. The words "unprecedented" and "billionaire bonanza" come to mind. On this episode of PST, we follow the money across the races defining California's political future: the wide-open governor's race, the battle to succeed Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco, and the ballot measure that's unleashed a flood of fury from the ultra-wealthy — a proposed one-time 5% tax on California's roughly 200 billionaires. Host Emily Dreyfuss sits down with The Standard's Emily Shugerman and Hannah Wiley to unpack the mega-donors, super PACs, and power brokers shaping what's on your ballot. Then USF politics professor Keally McBride answers a critical question: does all that spending actually work? For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Inside Stanford’s quest to build the next ruling class
Student journalist Theo Baker made a name for himself in 2023 when, at the age of 18, his reporting at Stanford led to the resignation of the university’s then-president Marc Tessier-Lavigne. Yes, Baker got the president of his university fired… as a freshman. Now, Baker is out with his debut book, How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University, which pulls back the curtain on a secretive, hyper-privileged echelon of students who are aggressively courted by Silicon Valley venture capitalists from the moment they arrive on campus. In the age of the AI gold rush, the next generation of entrepreneurs has become the most coveted asset of all. This week, Baker joins us to break down what he calls the “Stanford Inside Stanford” that is mining the next generation of tech billionaires. He talks about the lingo that separates the “builders” from the “wantapreneurs”, the scrappy, underdog spirit that Silicon Valley has largely abandoned in favor of corporatized hackathons, and why he thinks the next Elizabeth Holmes or Sam Bankman-Fried is being minted at Silicon Valley’s most prestigious university right now. Theo's book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760317/how-to-rule-the-world-by-theo-baker/] Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Are tech layoffs different this time? A Meta source speaks out
Tech layoffs are back — and this time, AI is reshaping the rules. Meta is expected to lay off another 8,000 employees next week, roughly 10% of its remaining staff, after first announcing the cuts last month. Those impacted will join the more than 100,000 tech workers who've received layoff notices since January from companies like Oracle, Coinbase, and Snap. Some tech leaders blame the rise and cost of AI; others are simply continuing a pattern of reducing headcount wherever possible. We hear from The Standard's tech editor, Heather Kelly, on what makes this moment different and how it's throwing once-secure workers for a loop. Then we speak with author and grief therapist Claire Bidwell Smith about processing the complicated emotions tied to job loss — and what it means to grieve the life you thought you'd lead. Plus, an anonymous Meta source speaks about the May 20th layoffs. For more information, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
SF says more public trash cans wouldn’t solve its trash problem. Why?
San Francisco is a trashy city. We're not talking about the vibes – we’re talking about the state of our sidewalks. Anyone who lives here knows the feeling of walking down the street with something to throw away… and absolutely nowhere to put it. Because SF has shockingly few public trash cans. How has one of the wealthiest cities in the world ended up so short on such a basic need? And what would it take to fix SF’s dirtiest problem? Turns out, there’s a lot more to the story behind SF’s trash problems than you might think. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
Rent is due. Here's how we afford one of the most expensive cities in the US
We all know San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the world – but did you know that the average renter here spends about 34% of their salary on housing alone? So, after that rent check clears, what’s left? To help us answer these questions, we talk to San Francisco’s Chief Economist, Ted Egan, to make sense of SF’s unique rental market, as well as André Lucas, a recent SF transplant who has gone viral with a series of videos about how to live well in SF without breaking the bank. Plus, we hear from listeners about what they’re cutting from their budgets this month, and what they absolutely refuse to give up (hello, Equinox membership). For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: https://sfstandard.com/subscriber
How to become a Valkyries superfan in one episode
The WNBA's hottest team - the Golden State Valkyries - is on the cusp of a brand new season. After a blockbuster debut last year that saw sold-out crowds of 18,000 fans, the Valks are sure to bring the heat both on and off the court again this summer - and with that, new supporters, like our very own Emily Dreyfuss! To get us up to speed with this Bay Area franchise, we chat with the Standard's sports editor Kerry Crowley. We then meet Danielle Thoe, owner of SF's only women's sports bar. And we end with a game hosted by the Standard's comedy correspondent Sophia Garrow to test our newfound sports fandom. For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: www.sfstandard.com/subscriber
Ronan Farrow on the trust issues shrouding Sam Altman and OpenAI
Ronan Farrow spent 18 months investigating Sam Altman for The New Yorker. This week, he joined us to talk about what he found. Farrow and co-author Andrew Marantz spoke to over 100 people in Altman's orbit for their 16,000-word piece, "Sam Altman May Control Our Future — Can He Be Trusted?" The story landed just days before a Molotov cocktail was thrown at Altman's San Francisco home, amid a national wave of anxiety about AI and the people building it. In this conversation, Farrow talks about the pattern of deception described by Altman's own colleagues and investors, OpenAI's transformation from a safety-first nonprofit into a company racing for profit, and why he sees Altman's story as a window into a much bigger crisis: an industry without guardrails shaping all of our futures. We also get into what it's like to actually sit across from Altman in an interview, how Farrow's #MeToo reporting informs his approach to power, and the uncomfortable parallels between ChatGPT's tendency to hallucinate and people-please — and the personality traits sources attribute to the man who built it. Read the full New Yorker piece: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted Pacific Standard Time is a production of the San Francisco Standard. Produced by Eddie Sun and Tessa Kramer. Edited by Sophie Bearman. Mixing by Michelle Lanz. Video by Morgan Ellis. Art by Jess Hutchinson. Music by Carly Bond and Bear Attack. Hosted by Emily Dreyfuss. Subscribe to The Standard: sfstandard.com/subscriber
SF vs. DC: The two cities fighting over America’s AI future
Freelance journalist Jasmine Sun calls the SF-DC-AI axis "the most important story in the world" — so we brought her to Manny's in the Mission to break it down live. We get into the AI partisan divide, how Washington is thinking about jobs, and then spend 20 hilarious minutes grilling her on her 2026 cultural predictions. Spoiler: Graza olive oil is still out; cultured butter is in. For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: www.sfstandard.com/subscriber
The end of BART? Inside the Bay Area's transit crisis
BART is considering cutting 70% of its service. Muni could eliminate 20 lines. Stations might close permanently. And after 9 p.m.? You're on your own. San Francisco's public transit system is facing the worst financial crisis in its history — a slow-motion collapse years in the making, accelerated by the pandemic and the rise of remote work. This week, we explain how we got here, what's on the ballot this November to address it, and what Bay Area transportation may look like if voters don't show up. Guests: Garrett Leahy, SF Standard transportation reporter; Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR
Crimes in SF: Serious, petty and stinky
San Francisco's crime rate is lower than it's been in decades, and politicians are lining up to take credit. We break down what's really happening. Plus: we consider whether putting your dog’s stinky poop bag in someone else's trash can is a crime — or, if not a crime, a moral failure. More reading: Police report: Daniel Lurie initiated confrontation that injured his security team San Francisco once led the fight against police surveillance. Now it’s a laboratory for it Can you put dog poop bags in other people’s trash cans? An ethical investigation For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member.
Can you afford to have a family in SF?
San Francisco has the lowest rate of children per capita of any U.S. city — and if you've ever tried to afford childcare here, you know why. This week, host Emily Dreyfuss is joined by SF Standard head of audio Sophie Bearman, who reported on the real cost of raising kids in the city, to talk about why even families earning $400,000 a year feel squeezed. They also make the case for why, despite it all, SF is a pretty magical place to raise a family — plus the debut of a new segment, "Psst," where they share a hidden gem about the city you won't want to miss.
The median home in SF now costs $2M. Let's talk about that
This week on the show, hosts Jesse Alejandro Cottrell and Emily Dreyfuss take a look at where the San Francisco housing market stands in 2026 — and who it's actually working for — with SF Standard real estate reporter Emily Landes. Landes explains what's driving SF's latest housing surge: AI workers cashing out before their companies even IPO, rock-bottom inventory, and a median home price that just crossed $2 million. Plus, we explain the "Dirt Alley" saga, and play a quiz game called "What Did It Sell For?!" More reading: The Wishlist: Buying a home on an educator’s salary required an act of God They thought they bought a home. They ended up with ‘Dirt Alley’
How we investigated alleged sex crimes of an SF social climber
Army veteran and San Francisco nightlife fixture Michael “Mickey” Gerold led a seemingly charmed life of private clubs and powerful friends. But his ex-girlfriend Emilia London claims that behind closed doors, he arranged for her to have sex with men for money. The earnings, totaling more than $100,000, went completely to fund Gerold’s lifestyle, London said. On this week’s episode of “Pacific Standard Time,” SF Standard reporter Anya Schultz discusses her blockbuster investigation into alleged sex crimes, explains what motivated London to share her allegations publicly, and details how she stumbled across the story at San Francisco Family Court. More reading: Inside the allegations against a San Francisco social climber accused of sex crimes One man’s trail of alleged abuse through SF’s private club scene
Amjad Masad spoke out for Palestine. Silicon Valley ghosted him
This week on “Pacific Standard Time,” Replit CEO Amjad Masad tells us about the intense backlash he has faced for being outspokenly pro-Palestine — and Silicon Valley’s “only contrarian.” And Casey Newton of Platformer and the “Hard Fork” podcast drops by to gab about getting engaged and his reaction to Wired’s “gay tech mafia” story. More reading: He was called a ‘terrorist sympathizer.’ Now his AI company is valued at $3B Q&A: What it’s like to have AI coworkers, according to Replit CEO Amjad Masad For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member.
AI writes the code now + The Castro Theatre’s glow-up
This week on “Pacific Standard Time," reporter Rya Jetha explains why the tech world is in a frenzy over AI’s capabilities — and why many rank-and-file engineers are facing an unsettling existential crisis. Plus, reporter Astrid Kane takes us inside the Castro Theatre’s high-stakes makeover. Was the controversy worth the result? (Spoiler: It’s glorious.) More reading: AI writes the code now. What’s left for software engineers? The Castro Theatre is officially back: Here’s who graced the grand reopening For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member.
The SF teachers strike + governor candidate Matt Mahan
There’s a new way to catch “Pacific Standard Time” — we’ve added video to our podcast. We’ll continue to drop new episodes each week, with hosts Emily Dreyfuss and Jesse Alejandro Cottrell covering the latest news affecting San Francisco and the Bay Area. This week on “Pacific Standard Time”: News and business editor Kevin Truong on the teachers strike that has shut down San Francisco public schools. Plus, Emily’s kids drop by the office to explain what they’re doing — and what they’re worrying about — now that schools are closed. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan explains why he entered the California governor’s race and makes the case as to how his experience has prepared him for the top state office. More reading: Live updates: SFUSD teachers strike coverage San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan enters gridlocked race for California governor For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member.
Sleep hacking, peptides, and orgies: How SF is finding joy in 2026
For a lot of people, 2025 was a rough year — and 2026 isn’t proving much better. So amid difficulty and despair, “Pacific Standard Time” hosts Emily Dreyfuss and Jesse Alejandro Cottrell wanted to discover the ways people are embracing joy. At the first live taping of “Pacific Standard Time,” Dreyfuss and Cottrell talked about the big and small ways San Franciscans are finding joy this year. They interviewed The Standard’s Zara Stone about the way techy self-optimizers are tracking and tweaking their way toward joy and Bonobo Network founder William Winters about what the city’s robust orgy community can teach us about building community. Background reading: Silicon Valley is done watching you sleep. Now it’s getting handsy in the bedroom Everyone has a Chinese peptide dealer now The new laboratory for happiness science: A Silicon Valley rave What do you eat at a San Francisco orgy? Caterers describe the spread For more information and episode transcripts, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time.Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member.
Chefs can't stomach their menu prices either
It’s not just you. San Francisco chefs are “mortified” by how much it costs to eat at their restaurants. That’s according to Sara Deseran, an editor-at-large at The Standard who covers food and dining. She talked to chefs and restaurant owners who are trying to price their menus without scaring away customers. This week on “Pacific Standard Time,” Deseran sits down with host Emily Dreyfuss to discuss how chefs feel about their menu prices, what factors are influencing costs, and what diners can do to feel a little better when settling the tab. ‘It’s embarrassing’: SF chefs are mortified by their own menu prices Chicken, red sauce, and influencers gone wild: 10 trends that defined the year in eating
The next generation of AI founders can't even drive
Tech founders used to drop out of college. Now many aren’t even going. This week on “Pacific Standard Time,” we talk to Rya Jetha, who covers tech culture for The Standard, and 13-year-old founder Michael Goldstein. Background reading: ‘It’s normal in this city to be a dropout’: AI founders are starting younger than ever Meet the 13-year-old looking to cash in on the AI boom For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
Meet the San Franciscans trying to become U.S. citizens
Abigail Larios felt confident going into her U.S. citizenship test: She’d been studying all year, had worked on her English, and was ready to talk about her history in the country. But as she was leaving her immigration interview hours later, officials told her they weren’t ready to swear her in as a citizen. They’d need a couple of weeks to review her record. Months later, Larios remains in citizenship limbo. Her story reflects the confusion and uncertainty surrounding citizenship in the second Trump presidency, which has included an executive order targeting birthright citizenship, the growing threat of raids by immigration agents, and a move to make the process more difficult. This has led to an uptick in longtime U.S. residents seeking citizenship. “There is more of an urgency to become a citizen,” said Jake Simons, who runs a citizenship class at the Mission-based nonprofit Centro Latino. “The administration has kind of imposed this fear that anything could happen, regardless of if you're a permanent resident, regardless of if you're a citizen.” On this episode of “Pacific Standard Time,” The Standard visits Simons’ citizenship class and follows Larios as she attempts to complete the process during one of the most fraught periods in recent immigration history. Background reading: Bracing for the ICE storm, SF immigrants are in hiding A green card was once enough for Chinese immigrants. Now they don’t feel safe This is what happens when your immigration judge is fired For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
What Claude taught his keeper — and everyone else in San Francisco, too
The death of Claude, the beloved albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences, was one of the biggest news events of the year in San Francisco. Claude, who turned 30 in November, died in early December from late-stage liver cancer. Since then, the city (and the world) has been in mourning: The academy has been flooded with goodbye letters, and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar wants to rename a street in the reptile’s honor. Claude was seen by many as an ambassador of San Francisco’s quirkiness and independent spirit. For those who grew up alongside him, he was a steady, constant companion amid the backdrop of a rapidly changing city. For others, he was the mascot for the vast animal kingdom housed at the California Academy of Sciences. For Emma Kocina, Claude’s keeper and a senior biologist at the academy, Claude was a daily companion. She spent eight years feeding, training, and caring for the delicate animal. Kocina says she’s still trying to understand why Claude captured so many hearts, but she feels the weight of his loss for herself and all San Franciscans. “It's a lot of pressure to care for an animal that's so loved by not only the academy, but the city,” she told Pacific Standard Time. “I have a hard time separating myself out from the thousands of people that are distraught over it.” In an end-of-year bonus episode of “Pacific Standard Time,” we talk to Kocina about what Claude taught her — and all of us — in his 17 years perched on a heated rock in California Academy of Science’s artificial swamp. For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
Gavin Newsom worries AI will make it impossible for your kids to find a job
Gov. Gavin Newsom cried at the mall when his oldest child got her first phone. “She got her first telephone number, and then she called me, at the store. And that's when I cried,” he said during a wide-ranging chat with “Pacific Standard Time.” During the conversation, Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate who terms out as governor next year, explained the challenges of regulating AI and keeping his kids off TikTok, complimented Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first year in office, and reflected on how some of the challenges he faced as San Francisco’s mayor in the early 2000s have persisted through his tenure as governor (ahem: homelessness). For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
That necklace? It's AI, and it's taking notes
Who's wearing always-listening AI necklaces? A lot of people, actually. The Standard’s Zara Stone explains why startups are pushing wearable tech, and Internet privacy researcher Chris Gilliard offers some words of caution. Background reading: This conversation is being recorded — and so is everything else you do in San Francisco He wanted a friend who always listens and never leaves. So he built one For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
Only nine judges left: Inside SF’s immigration court purge
Since January, the Trump administration has hollowed out San Francisco’s immigration court, firing all but nine of the 21 judges who started the year on the bench. The result is a court in disarray. Some judges keep their personal belongings packed in boxes, bracing for their dismissals. Staffers openly weep. Asylum seekers who have waited years for their day in court lose their place in line when their judge is fired, leaving them to wait years longer. On this week’s episode, a recently-fired jurist offers a rare look at a system in chaos. Background reading: Trump violating immigration law ‘at an astonishing pace,’ says former judge ‘Shell-shocked’: SF Immigration Court reels from judge firings For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
How dead mice delivered Mayor Lurie his first big fail
In early November, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie beamed with pride as he introduced Beya Alcaraz as the Sunset District’s next supervisor. A week later, Alcaraz resigned, after reporters uncovered her failings as a small business owner. The ill-fated eight-day tenure of Alcaraz dealt a political blow to Lurie’s streak of successes. On this week’s episode, The Standard’s Gabriel Greschler and Adam Lashinsky explain what this fiasco means for Lurie and what it tells us about the political landscape today. Background reading: The 200-hour supervisor Daniel Lurie learns a bitter lesson For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
What happened when ICE came to California (City)
California City is a tiny town that’s become home to the state’s largest ICE detention center. Residents want it gone, but the mayor — a former rapper who nearly joined N.W.A. — is struggling to do anything about it. For more information on this week’s episode, visit sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time. Transcripts of each episode are available on our website. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: www.sfstandard.com/member
Introducing 'Pacific Standard Time'
A smart, surprising weekly podcast about California’s future—and why what happens here matters everywhere and to everyone. Hosted by SF Standard culture editor Emily Dreyfuss and enterprise reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell. New episodes Wednesday mornings, beginning Nov. 19. If you want to support this podcast, you can become a member at: www.sfstandard.com/member