After Roy Lee’s artificial intelligence
startup, Cluely, landed
$5.3 million in venture capital funding this spring, he orchestrated (to arrange something carefully, and
sometimes unfairly, so as to achieve a wanted result精心安排；用心策劃) a San Francisco real estate coup(an
unexpectedly successful achievement意想不到的成功).
In May, Cluely leased eight apartments for
its employees at a new
luxury complex (a large building with various connected rooms or a related
group of buildings綜合大樓;建築群)—where
rents start at $3,000 a month and reach $12,000 a month for penthouse(an expensive apartment or set of rooms at the top of a hotel
or tall building（豪華的）頂層公寓，屋頂房間) units—just a
one-minute walk from its office in the city’s South of Market neighborhood. The
apartments were a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units in the 16-story
building, which offers a fitness center, a rooftop bar, and concierge (a person who is employed to take care of an apartment
building, especially in France（尤指法國的）大樓管理員，看門人) and housecleaning
services.
Driven by a boom in AI companies like
Cluely, San Francisco’s residential rents have soared (to
rise very quickly to a high level猛增，驟升) the most
in the nation over the past year. Apartment prices in the city rose an average
of 6% in that time, more than double the 2.5% increase in New York City,
according to real estate tracker(a person who is able to find
animals or people by following the marks they leave on the ground as they move
over it追蹤者，追捕者) Costar. That now puts the average rent for a San Francisco
apartment at $3,315 a month, right
behind New York City’s $3,360, which is the nation’s highest.
The AI frenzy’s((an example of) uncontrolled and excited behaviour or emotion that is
sometimes violent瘋狂，狂熱，狂暴) effect on rents has put
pressure on San Francisco’s already strained housing supply, leading to heated competition among techies (someone who knows a lot about computers or other electronic
equipment
技術人員;科技迷;（尤指）電腦通，電腦迷) and nontechies
to pounce(to jump or move quickly in order to catch or take hold of
something猛撲，猛衝，突然襲擊) on listings. Applicants are showing up to apartment tours with
envelopes of cash in hand and waiting in long lines to see properties. And the rejections for
would-be renters are coming fast.
That has raised questions about the
affordability of San Francisco, which has long been one of the most expensive
U.S. cities. Daniel Lurie, the mayor, has made addressing affordable housing a
cornerstone of his policies, while also embracing the growth of local AI
companies like OpenAI
and Anthropic.
Ted Egan, the chief economist for the City
and County of San Francisco, said the city’s market rents today are still below
prepandemic levels
when adjusted for inflation(a發音a). But many service workers who left rent-controlled apartments during
the pandemic would now find it difficult to return, he acknowledged.
“Tech is setting the bar for housing
prices,” Egan said.
(Natallie Rocha)
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