Maybe you should move to SF

Also a recording of my jibber jabber at Founders Inc, the rise of startup shutdowns, and a few music recs.

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Ryan Hoover, founder of Product Hunt and early-stage investor at Weekend Fund. I also helped write Hooked and occasionally publish essays. This newsletter highlights my latest experiments, essays, and curiosities. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe along with 20k+ others here. :)

1. Moving to SF in 2010 was one of the best decisions I made, personally and professionally. I wrote about why you should move to a different city.

2. Last month I did a talk at Founders Inc in SF. Here’s the recording with my buddy, Furqan.

3. A few weeks ago I got covid for the first time (I think). It wasn’t too bad, fortunately, and led me down a music-making rabbit hole. Inspired by Headache, I’m working on a spoken word music project, using Ableton and gen AI music tools. I’ll share someday.

4. New Worlds fan-made film just dropped. Sorry, not sorry, for all the Porter Robinson simping. :)

5. Mura Masa’s new album, Curve 1, just released. I first saw him at The Independent in SF in 2016. This music video for FLY, a single off his new album, is incredible. It captures the euphoria and comedown of drug use. But the metaphor extends to work, relationships, and other rollercoasters in life.

6. Founders often ask me for advice on how to build a community. The biggest mistake they make is focusing on community before utility. More on that here.

7. I recently went to Sleep No More, the long-standing immersive theater experience. It was wild. I highly recommend visiting before they end the show, September 29.

8. Cool to see Pieter Levels on Lex Fridman’s pod. I connected with him several years ago in the early Product Hunt days and have admired his dedication to independent thinking.

9. I enjoyed this podcast with Whitney Cummings. She grew up in a dysfunctional home, surrounded by alcoholism (I know, a comedian cliche of childhood adversity). But these challenges pushed her toward introspection and self-work. I can relate to topics she and Chris discuss.

10. My SF condo is available now until the end of August. If you need a spot for a few days or a week, let me know. I’m open to offering a good deal since it’s last minute. I’m also open to reserving it for the months of November and/or December.

11. I went boxing for the first time recently. I didn’t realize PaRappa the Rapper was preparing me this whole time (iykyk). ;)

12. Tip: Now’s the time to book reservations at SF’s hottest restaurants. Everyone’s at Burning Man. I’m not going this year.

13. Elad Gil shared a chart (via Carta) of startup shutdowns over time. Unsurprisingly, the slope is upward and likely to continue as companies that raised during ~2021’s bull, run out of capital. If you’re one of those founders, consider working with Sunset (I’m a small angel investor).

14. The Peak Design BTR-45-BK-1 is the best addition to my travel stack. The backpack is as large as many carry-ons and can hold five sets of pants, a pair of shoes, my iPad, a MacBook, headphones, and emergency jerky.