Journalist Moves to SF After AI Startup Sends Cold DM, Gains Existential Crisis

KEY POINTS

•In February 2026, Erika Lee received a cold DM from Corgi's chief of staff inviting her to join their AI startup.
•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.
•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 Corgi—the AI insurance startup famous for a brutal seven-day workweek—snatched 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 parties—try 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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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

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 résumés and burnout is the new badge of honor.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Erika switched LA's Instagram flex culture for SF's existential question: What are you building? Spoiler: It’s probably a sleep deprivation app.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

San Francisco is trading parties for product roadmaps, crushing LA's influencer princess vibes one cold DM at a time.

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