Journalist Moves to SF After AI Startup Sends Cold DM, Gains Existential Crisis
KEY POINTS
- â˘In February 2026, Erika Lee received a cold DM from Corgi's chief of staff inviting her to join their AI startup.
- â˘She moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco by March, becoming Corgi's Head of Brand amid a culture shift valuing ideas over Instagram clout.
- â˘Erika appreciates how her journalism skills now drive storytelling in AI, despite long hours and missing her LA life.
Erika Lee's comfy LA reporting life got ghosted by sunshine and Instagram for foggy San Francisco and X DMs. February 2026: A mysterious cold message from Corgiâthe AI insurance startup famous for a brutal seven-day workweekâsnatched her from crypto beats to Head of Brand. She traded palm trees for code trees, noting SF peers ditch Instagram glam for LinkedIn bragging rights and the currency of Silicon Valley: 'What are you building?' Forget partiesâtry pitching AI dreams near the Golden Gate, where everyone thinks they're the next OpenAI. LA nostalgia hits hard, but storytelling, not STEM, is the new tech flex.
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(1 of 3)Nothing screams 'big career move' like uprooting your life for an AI startup that literally works you seven days a week. Welcome to the future where DMs replace rĂŠsumĂŠs and burnout is the new badge of honor.
Erika switched LA's Instagram flex culture for SF's existential question: What are you building? Spoiler: Itâs probably a sleep deprivation app.
San Francisco is trading parties for product roadmaps, crushing LA's influencer princess vibes one cold DM at a time.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 7/12/2026 | Author: Erika Lee
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