>> ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THE FUTURE OF SAN FRANCISCO, BUT $1 BILLION COMPANY IS HEADING OUT AND PART OF THE REASON SOME OF THE CITY'S WELL-DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS. >> ABC SEVEN NEWS REPORTER TIM JOHNS FOLLOWING THE STORY FOR US, JOINING US LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. TIM. >> YEAH, LARRY. KRISTIN. THE COMPANY CEO, CREATED A WHOLE THREAD IN WHICH HE LAID OUT HIS DECISION TO MOVE ITS HEADQUARTERS DOWN TO FOSTER CITY. HE SAID THE MOVE WAS INSPIRED BY WHAT FOSTER CITY HAS TO OFFER JUST AS MUCH AS IT WAS BY THE PROBLEMS HE THINKS SAN FRANCISCO HAS. IT'S THE INDUSTRY THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HELP REVIVE SAN FRANCISCO WITH THE MAJOR PLAYERS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ALL MOVING DOWNTOWN, BUT ON MONDAY, REPLIT, AN AI COMPANY VALUED AT OVER $1 BILLION, ANNOUNCED IT WAS LEAVING THE CITY. DESPITE THE RELOCATION, REPLIT SAYS IT'S NOT GOING FAR. THERE SIMPLY MOVING DOWN THE PENINSULA TO FOSTER CITY. >> IT'S JUST ONE COMPANY IS NOT A TREND. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. >> AHMED BENAISSA IS THE TECH EXPERT AT SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY. HE SAYS THE MOVE DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT SAN FRANCISCO REMAINS THE UNDISPUTED AI CAPITAL, NOT JUST HERE IN THE BAY AREA, BUT AROUND THE WORLD. IT'S NOT CLEAR HOW MANY EMPLOYEES REPLIT HAS, BUT BONAFE TELLS ME HE'D BE WORRIED IF BIGGER COMPANIES LIKE OPENAI DECIDED TO LEAVE. >> THEY CALLED HIM ANCHOR. YOU KNOW, COMPANIES WHERE EVERYBODY IS AROUND THEM. BUT IF YOU HAVE COMPANIES WHO JUST STARTING OR COMPANIES WHO ARE NEW IN THE FIELD, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF AIS COMPANIES. THAT VIEW WAS ALSO SHARED BY JIM WUNDERMAN, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE BAY AREA COUNCIL. >> WUNDERMAN SAYS GIVEN THAT THE BAY AREA'S ECONOMY FUNCTIONS LARGELY AS ONE UNIT, SAN FRANCISCO WILL STILL BENEFIT FROM REPLIT BEING NEARBY. >> THE FACT THAT A COMPANY IS IN SAN FRANCISCO ITSELF, OR IN SILICON VALLEY OR SAN JOSE, OR IN SAN MATEO COUNTY, YOU KNOW, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. EACH HAS ITS OWN DISTINCT ADVANTAGES, BUT THE LOCATION OF A COMPANY BENEFITS THOSE OUTSIDE THAT AREA. >> BUT LEAVING SAN FRANCISCO IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY, ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY'S CEO, WHO LAID OUT HIS REASONING IN A THREAD ON X, SAYING IN PART, THE WHY WE'RE LEAVING IS BORING, SAD, AND PREDICTABLE CRIME, DYSFUNCTION, ETC. SO INSTEAD, LET ME TELL YOU WHY WE CHOSE FOSTER CITY. THE REST OF HIS POST DESCRIBES WHAT HE FINDS ATTRACTIVE ABOUT THE PENINSULA CITY, NAMELY ITS SAFE ENVIRONMENT, IDEAL LOCATION AND HIGH STANDARD OF LIVING DESCRIPTORS. FOSTER CITY LEADERS SAY THEY'RE HAPPY TO RECEIVE, ALL IN THE HOPES THAT MORE COMPANIES MAY CHOOSE TO FOLLOW IN ITS FOOTSTEPS. >> WE ARE A PRIME LOCATION FOR OFFICES, AND WE HAVE THAT THAT TECH HUB, BIOTECH HUB, ALL OF THAT CO-MINGLING WITH WITH BEAUTIFUL RESIDENTIAL AND RECREATIONAL AMENITIES. THE CITY HAS TO PROVIDE NOW, REPLIT CEO SAYS IN THE FUTURE, HE HOPES WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THE WORD REPLIT, THEY ASSOCIATE IT WITH FOSTER CITY, SIMILAR TO HOW GOOGLE IS ASSOCIATED WITH MOUNTAIN VIEW AND APPLE IS
