first time I met Daniel Lurie, the newly appointed mayor of San Francisco, about five minutes before we took the stage at WIRED’s Gigantic Interview event in his city last week.
Lurie’s team informed me in advance that he had little time for this interview: he had just returned from announcing the city’s recent police chief and had about half an hour with me before he had to take on another case. Which one was it? “I have no idea,” Lurie joked, shortly before we were whisked backstage to our conversation in front of several hundred attendees – a local audience who, judging by their raucous reactions to Lurie’s every word, is one of 73 percent of San Francisco residents who approve of the job he has done since taking office in January this year.
To Lurie’s credit, San Francisco’s current history is largely positive. The city is undoubtedly a global center for AI innovation and the billions of dollars that come with it, with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, as well as smaller startups, investors, and a host of juvenile AI technologists calling San Francisco home. Yes, that means rents have gone up and housing stock remains dangerously low. But office vacancies are falling, retail is returning to downtown, and, as Lurie’s office is quick to tout, several key indicators of urban crime – including homicides and car break-ins – are at historic lows.
I wanted to talk to Lurie about all this, but I was also curious about the bigger picture: the dynamics of his administration’s relationship with the federal government, especially in the context of President Trump’s October plan to send the National Guard to San Francisco, an endeavor that Lurie managed to thwart. according to The New York Times.recruiting a powerful coterie of technology executives to apply the phones to his advantage.
Lurie was not particularly present there, a result of his urgent efforts to focus the talks on San Francisco and perhaps avoid attracting the attention or ire of the current administration. That’s a different tactic than other Democrats ruling progressive parts of the country, from Modern York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. But if the reaction in the room last week was any indication, Lurie’s local fans aren’t bothered by his “say less” strategy – at least for now.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
KATIE DRUMMOND: Oh, wow. Some fans in the audience. Someone has a 70-something percent approval rating. Wow, God.
DANIEL LURIE: How are my socks? Oh, they’re black. I usually wear funnier socks.