London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 24, 2026

Tech titan flees San Francisco for Florida, says city is poorly managed

Tech titan flees San Francisco for Florida, says city is poorly managed

Tech titan Keith Rabois announced this week he is leaving California's Silicon Valley and moving to the Floridian metropolis of Miami. 

Rabois, formerly an executive at companies like Square and PayPal, announced the decision during Tuesday's financial Meridian conference.

“I think San Francisco is just so massively improperly run and managed that it’s impossible to stay here,” he told Fortune's Robert Hackett.

A recent report from real estate firm FCP and analytics group Orbital Insight said South Florida is one of the top destinations for Americans moving during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rampant homelessness and relentless wildfires have colored the last few years for longtime Bay Area residents. The strain of the coronavirus only adds weight to cities already under duress.


The 51-year-old New Jersey native has lived in the Bay Area for 20 years. He pointed out that many have taken similar actions over the past couple of years.

The Bay Area -- once known for the garages of technology greats -- has seen the departures of PayPal's Peter Thiel and Palantir's Alex Karp and Joe Lonsdale, or what some call a "tech exodus."

Rabois explained that the pandemic gave him the push he needed to get out the proverbial door -- noting any hesitancy was "more psychological than real.”

In addition, the investor explained that he had observed Americans' changing habits over the course of the year, asserting that residents of heavily-populated and pricey cities have been exposed to the "downsides" of urban life during the pandemic.

“Bay Area searches for rent are in free-fall, they’re down like 30%,” Rabois added.

"It’s very clear right now, people are shifting their preferences pretty massively,” he said, though noting attitudes could shift once a vaccine is introduced to the public.

A remote work environment has also played a role, with workers in hubs like New York City opting for cheaper rents as long as they are allowed to work from home. Many companies are making that option permanent.

However, census data reportedly shows that 5.4% fewer people left California last year for other states.

Nevertheless, Rabois said he's headed to the warm climate of Miami. It's currently 78 degrees there and just 58 degrees in the Golden Gate City.

“Miami is an incredibly beautiful city, cosmopolitan, has an interesting mix of New Yorkers, Latin Americans, and Europeans,” he told conference members.

“Living in the Bay Area for 20 years, it’s just like, all the things you wish you had,” Rabois concluded.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
First Bus Bars Unaccompanied Under-Sixteens From Evening Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Cost UK Waste Sector About One Billion Pounds a Year
Reform UK Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born Naturalised Citizens
UK Government Deploys AI Drones in Crackdown on Illegal Waste Dumping
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Disruption for British Travellers and Freight Operators
UK Expands Voluntary Drug Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders to Twenty Prisons
CrossCountry Cancels Most Services After Major Power Failure at Control Centre
Met Office Warns El Niño Could Bring Severe Autumn Storms and Higher Food Prices
Resolution Foundation Says UK Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Suggest
Andy Burnham Proposes Giving Regional Mayors Greater Planning Powers
UK Government Overhauls Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Near Transport Links
Russia Withdraws Ambassador to Britain and Warns of Retaliation Over UK Drone Supplies to Ukraine
Iran-Linked Hackers Blamed for Cyberattack That Shut Down UK Power Plant
Andy Burnham Pledges UK Support for Long-Range Missile Production in Ukraine
Australia Combines Indigenous Fire Knowledge With Satellite Tech to Combat Catastrophic Wildfires
Father and Son Jailed in Scotland Over £900,000 Airport Cannabis Smuggling Operation
UK Fraud Reports Surge Sevenfold as Criminals Exploit QR Codes in Parking Meters and Phishing Emails
Brighton Thrash Aston Villa in Four-Goal Opening Half as Manchester City Trail Bournemouth
Erin Patterson Appeals Triple Murder Convictions After Hotel Mixed Sequestered Jury With Prosecution
Bank of England Maintains Close Watch on Banks Amid Global Economic Uncertainty
Warm Weather and Tourism Support UK High Street Spending During Summer
Westminster Faces Continuing Political and Administrative Fallout From Epstein Files Release
UK Invests in Domestic Defence Drone Manufacturing to Strengthen Military Supply Chains
Around Five Million UK Households Face Higher Mortgage Payments by 2028
Bluetongue Virus Cases Rise Across England, Wales and Scotland
UK Government Holds First National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism
Historic Summer Droughts Threaten UK Harvests and Put Further Pressure on Food Prices
UK Economy Holds Up in Second Quarter Despite Global Energy and Geopolitical Pressures
UK Opens National Artificial Intelligence Safety Testing Facility
UK Government Finalizes Plans to Bring Remaining Regional Rail Services Into Public Ownership
Environment Agency Imposes Record Penalties on Water Companies Over Illegal Sewage Discharges
Great British Energy Announces Offshore Wind Partnership in North Sea
UK Government Tightens Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Development
NHS Launches Digital Overhaul to Cut Elective Care Waiting Lists
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates May Stay Higher for Longer as Inflation Pressures Persist
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Inflation and Energy Risks Persist
UK AI Security Tests Find Autonomous Agent Attempting Malicious Code Injection
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Amid Global Pressures
UK Joins European Allies in Condemning Israeli Settlement Plans in West Bank E1 Area
Multiple People Killed in A66 Collision Near Middlesbrough Involving Police Vehicle
×