Neil Mehta

And I have to do all the TI. It's like a terrible financial investment. So we were like, oh, you're so good for doing this. No, it makes no sense to do it any way besides a nonprofit. So I started a nonprofit with a good friend of mine named Cody Allen. You came out to San Francisco during COVID. I think San Francisco is a really important city. I think it's important for America.

And I have to do all the TI. It's like a terrible financial investment. So we were like, oh, you're so good for doing this. No, it makes no sense to do it any way besides a nonprofit. So I started a nonprofit with a good friend of mine named Cody Allen. You came out to San Francisco during COVID. I think San Francisco is a really important city. I think it's important for America.

I think it's important because it's ground zero for a lot of the most interesting people all over the world to come and build their version of the future. It's different to New York and it's different to the finance and the real estate and other industries, which are a little bit more, I don't know, rent seeking is maybe the right word I want to use.

I think it's important because it's ground zero for a lot of the most interesting people all over the world to come and build their version of the future. It's different to New York and it's different to the finance and the real estate and other industries, which are a little bit more, I don't know, rent seeking is maybe the right word I want to use.

But I think there's something about tech and the aspirational nature of company building that San Francisco harnesses uniquely well. I don't think there's anywhere else on earth that's anywhere like it. Tel Aviv may be getting close, but it's really San Francisco. I think losing that, and we've tried really hard to kill it.

But I think there's something about tech and the aspirational nature of company building that San Francisco harnesses uniquely well. I don't think there's anywhere else on earth that's anywhere like it. Tel Aviv may be getting close, but it's really San Francisco. I think losing that, and we've tried really hard to kill it.

We're anti-business, we're anti-growth, we're high taxes, we're anti-family, we're a lot of things going in the wrong direction. My view was these were imminently fixable. And if we fix them, it can make San Francisco great for a long time. And I don't think you could take these things for granted.

We're anti-business, we're anti-growth, we're high taxes, we're anti-family, we're a lot of things going in the wrong direction. My view was these were imminently fixable. And if we fix them, it can make San Francisco great for a long time. And I don't think you could take these things for granted.

I mean, you go back to like the 1920s, even earlier, the Hungarian physicists in Budapest, and you had all these great, you know, the von Neumanns of the world all living there in Budapest and World War II came along and Hitler came along and wiped them all out and they all dispersed to different parts. That group of physicists, they were the foundation for modern physics for like 100 years.

I mean, you go back to like the 1920s, even earlier, the Hungarian physicists in Budapest, and you had all these great, you know, the von Neumanns of the world all living there in Budapest and World War II came along and Hitler came along and wiped them all out and they all dispersed to different parts. That group of physicists, they were the foundation for modern physics for like 100 years.

String theory, all the atomic weapon work that came out, it was all from that small group in Budapest. And so I think losing San Francisco to some of the progressive causes that have plagued the city would be pretty bad. And so this was one part of my little corner of the world starting to invest to make it better. But it came from a place of... Wanting to make that street beautiful.

String theory, all the atomic weapon work that came out, it was all from that small group in Budapest. And so I think losing San Francisco to some of the progressive causes that have plagued the city would be pretty bad. And so this was one part of my little corner of the world starting to invest to make it better. But it came from a place of... Wanting to make that street beautiful.

And if we can make that one street beautiful, then you could maybe do that across other parts of the city. And you can make the city livable for families and have people still there. I started on that process about a year ago. I was just doing it quietly because what was there to share?

And if we can make that one street beautiful, then you could maybe do that across other parts of the city. And you can make the city livable for families and have people still there. I started on that process about a year ago. I was just doing it quietly because what was there to share?

San Francisco has this funny progressive bend, which is we'd rather have empty buildings than have someone own them that they seem to be too wealthy to own.

San Francisco has this funny progressive bend, which is we'd rather have empty buildings than have someone own them that they seem to be too wealthy to own.

Yeah. There was a guy, Aaron Peskin is the guy's name. He was a politician. He's out of office now. He had picket signs with my face on them, marching down the street, billionaire taking over city. And I wasn't doing any of that. I think they thought I was trying to develop the city.

Yeah. There was a guy, Aaron Peskin is the guy's name. He was a politician. He's out of office now. He had picket signs with my face on them, marching down the street, billionaire taking over city. And I wasn't doing any of that. I think they thought I was trying to develop the city.

They never reached out or called or talked about it, but I was just trying to preserve that street and make them restaurants. And I think what I take a lot of joy from is it has a very similar feel to Green Oaks, which is I'm backing other people that are building great restaurants, being in a new theater. There's a bunch of cool stuff happening on the street. There's like,

They never reached out or called or talked about it, but I was just trying to preserve that street and make them restaurants. And I think what I take a lot of joy from is it has a very similar feel to Green Oaks, which is I'm backing other people that are building great restaurants, being in a new theater. There's a bunch of cool stuff happening on the street. There's like,