Student journalist Theo Baker made a name for himself in 2023 when, at the age of 18, his reporting at Stanford led to the resignation of the university’s then-president Marc Tessier-Lavigne. Yes, Baker got the president of his university fired… as a freshman.

Now, Baker is out with his debut book, How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University, which pulls back the curtain on a secretive, hyper-privileged echelon of students who are aggressively courted by Silicon Valley venture capitalists from the moment they arrive on campus. In the age of the AI gold rush, the next generation of entrepreneurs has become the most coveted asset of all.

This week, Baker joins us to break down what he calls the “Stanford Inside Stanford” that is mining the next generation of tech billionaires. He talks about the lingo that separates the “builders” from the “wantapreneurs”, the scrappy, underdog spirit that Silicon Valley has largely abandoned in favor of corporatized hackathons, and why he thinks the next Elizabeth Holmes or Sam Bankman-Fried is being minted at Silicon Valley’s most prestigious university right now.

Theo's book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760317/how-to-rule-the-world-by-theo-baker/]

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Tech layoffs are back — and this time, AI is reshaping the rules. Meta is expected to lay off another 8,000 employees next week, roughly 10% of its remaining staff, after first announcing the cuts last month. Those impacted will join the more than 100,000 tech workers who've received layoff notices since January from companies like Oracle, Coinbase, and Snap. Some tech leaders blame the rise and cost of AI; others are simply continuing a pattern of reducing headcount wherever possible.

We hear from The Standard's tech editor, Heather Kelly, on what makes this moment different and how it's throwing once-secure workers for a loop. Then we speak with author and grief therapist Claire Bidwell Smith about processing the complicated emotions tied to job loss — and what it means to grieve the life you thought you'd lead.

Plus, an anonymous Meta source speaks about the May 20th layoffs.

For more information, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: ⁠https://sfstandard.com/subscriber

San Francisco is a trashy city. We're not talking about the vibes – we’re talking about the state of our sidewalks.

Anyone who lives here knows the feeling of walking down the street with something to throw away… and absolutely nowhere to put it.

Because SF has shockingly few public trash cans. How has one of the wealthiest cities in the world ended up so short on such a basic need? And what would it take to fix SF’s dirtiest problem? Turns out, there’s a lot more to the story behind SF’s trash problems than you might think.

For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/

Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: ⁠https://sfstandard.com/subscriber

We all know San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the world – but did you know that the average renter here spends about 34% of their salary on housing alone? So, after that rent check clears, what’s left?

To help us answer these questions, we talk to San Francisco’s Chief Economist, Ted Egan, to make sense of SF’s unique rental market, as well as André Lucas, a recent SF transplant who has gone viral with a series of videos about how to live well in SF without breaking the bank.

Plus, we hear from listeners about what they’re cutting from their budgets this month, and what they absolutely refuse to give up (hello, Equinox membership).

For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/

Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: ⁠https://sfstandard.com/subscriber

The WNBA's hottest team - the Golden State Valkyries - is on the cusp of a brand new season. After a blockbuster debut last year that saw sold-out crowds of 18,000 fans, the Valks are sure to bring the heat both on and off the court again this summer - and with that, new supporters, like our very own Emily Dreyfuss! To get us up to speed with this Bay Area franchise, we chat with the Standard's sports editor Kerry Crowley. We then meet Danielle Thoe, owner of SF's only women's sports bar. And we end with a game hosted by the Standard's comedy correspondent Sophia Garrow to test our newfound sports fandom.

For more information and episode transcripts, visit ⁠sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time⁠/. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: www.sfstandard.com/subscriber

Ronan Farrow spent 18 months investigating Sam Altman for The New Yorker. This week, he joined us to talk about what he found.

Farrow and co-author Andrew Marantz spoke to over 100 people in Altman's orbit for their 16,000-word piece, "Sam Altman May Control Our Future — Can He Be Trusted?" The story landed just days before a Molotov cocktail was thrown at Altman's San Francisco home, amid a national wave of anxiety about AI and the people building it.

In this conversation, Farrow talks about the pattern of deception described by Altman's own colleagues and investors, OpenAI's transformation from a safety-first nonprofit into a company racing for profit, and why he sees Altman's story as a window into a much bigger crisis: an industry without guardrails shaping all of our futures.

We also get into what it's like to actually sit across from Altman in an interview, how Farrow's #MeToo reporting informs his approach to power, and the uncomfortable parallels between ChatGPT's tendency to hallucinate and people-please — and the personality traits sources attribute to the man who built it.

Read the full New Yorker piece: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted

Pacific Standard Time is a production of the San Francisco Standard. Produced by Eddie Sun and Tessa Kramer. Edited by Sophie Bearman. Mixing by Michelle Lanz. Video by Morgan Ellis. Art by Jess Hutchinson. Music by Carly Bond and Bear Attack. Hosted by Emily Dreyfuss.

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Freelance journalist Jasmine Sun calls the SF-DC-AI axis "the most important story in the world" — so we brought her to Manny's in the Mission to break it down live. We get into the AI partisan divide, how Washington is thinking about jobs, and then spend 20 hilarious minutes grilling her on her 2026 cultural predictions. Spoiler: Graza olive oil is still out; cultured butter is in.

For more information and episode transcripts, visit ⁠sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time⁠. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: www.sfstandard.com/subscriber

BART is considering cutting 70% of its service. Muni could eliminate 20 lines. Stations might close permanently. And after 9 p.m.? You're on your own.

San Francisco's public transit system is facing the worst financial crisis in its history — a slow-motion collapse years in the making, accelerated by the pandemic and the rise of remote work. This week, we explain how we got here, what's on the ballot this November to address it, and what Bay Area transportation may look like if voters don't show up.

Guests: Garrett Leahy, SF Standard transportation reporter; Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR

San Francisco's crime rate is lower than it's been in decades, and politicians are lining up to take credit. We break down what's really happening. Plus: we consider whether putting your dog’s stinky poop bag in someone else's trash can is a crime — or, if not a crime, a moral failure.

More reading:

For more information and episode transcripts, visit ⁠⁠sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time⁠⁠. Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a member: ⁠www.sfstandard.com/member⁠.

San Francisco has the lowest rate of children per capita of any U.S. city — and if you've ever tried to afford childcare here, you know why.

This week, host Emily Dreyfuss is joined by SF Standard head of audio Sophie Bearman, who reported on the real cost of raising kids in the city, to talk about why even families earning $400,000 a year feel squeezed.

They also make the case for why, despite it all, SF is a pretty magical place to raise a family — plus the debut of a new segment, "Psst," where they share a hidden gem about the city you won't want to miss.