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Vexed in the City

This CNET special report examines the controversy gripping San Francisco as a massive influx of techies feeds an unprecedented economic boom -- and backlash.

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Vexed in the city: Tech's fraught transformation of San Francisco 2014

The city once known for the summer of love is now dealing with a different kind of emotion. An influx of thousands of techies is feeding an unprecedented economic boom -- and generating a whole lot of angst.

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Vexed in the city: Welcoming new techies with a middle finger salute

The new era of dot-com fortunes spurs plenty of angst aimed at San Francisco's most privileged, but it hasn't stopped tech workers from moving in.

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<p>The view outside the Valley isn't so bad: The office of Automated Insights, a 30-employee startup based in North Carolina, overlook the baseball stadium for the Durham Bulls. The company lists free Bulls games from the "porch" as a job perk when hiring, as well as free lunches and take-it-when-you-need-it vacation.</p>

Vexed in the city: San Francisco strife spurs tech defectors elsewhere

As clashes mar tech's epicenter, entrepreneurs find that fleeing San Francisco for up-and-coming startup hubs can offer unique advantages.

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Vexed in the city: Silicon Valley's invasion of San Francisco

A major migration is under way, with technology companies large and small setting up shop in San Francisco and bypassing the historic heart of the tech industry.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Salesforce chairman and CEO Marc Benioff speaks during a keynote address at the 2013 Dreamforce conference on November 19, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The annual Dreamforce conference runs through November 21. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Vexed in the city: Benioff says it's time to listen to the dissenters (Q&A)

As tech reshapes San Francisco, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff argues for a broader civic dialogue and says philanthropy offers a way to unite a city riven by increasing social discord.

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Vexed in the city: Working in Silicon Valley tech is much more lucrative than you think

Add in the benefits, the perks, and the transportation tech workers get for free, and the value of their salaries jumps up to 20 percent.

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SAN FRANCISCO - MAY 22: Immigrants are sworn in as U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony May 22, 2007 in San Francisco, California. Over 1,400 immigrants from 100 countries became U.S. citizens at the ceremony. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Vexed in the city: Starved for tech talent and yet nobody to hire?

As the H-1B debate continues, the tech industry faces an odd contradiction: a skills shortage along with an applicant surplus.

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Vexed in the city: The tech invasion of San Francisco (pictures)

As business booms the city is chockablock with activity. But even as San Francisco enjoys a new golden age, it's struggling with a widening divide between haves and have-nots.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 11: 'Painted Ladies' near Alamo Square with the Downtown skyline in the back on October 11, 2013 in San Francisco, United States. (Photo by Margarethe Wichert/Getty Images)

Vexed in the city: The 'sharing' economy's hidden toll on San Francisco

Under the guise of "sharing," companies like Airbnb and Uber are cashing in. While they're providing services beloved by many, their impact is also causing reverberations on the ground

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Protesters march on the house of Jack Halprin, a Google lawyer, in April after he purchased a multi-family house and illegally evicted six tenants in San Francisco, California. The two evicted tenants are public school teachers. Halprin wants to convert the house into a single family residence.

Vexed in the city: If you're moving to San Francisco, bring cash. Lots of cash

Most cities would die for the problems San Francisco is having. But with so many techies flooding the city, the cost of renting or buying a place to live is soaring.

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Amid a time of tech-fueled prosperity, San Francisco faces myriad questions about how its reshaping this venerable city.

Vexed in the city: Tech's fraught transformation of San Francisco 2014

The city once known for the summer of love is now dealing with a different kind of emotion. An influx of thousands of techies is feeding an unprecedented economic boom -- and generating a whole lot of angst.

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<p>Twitter's headquarters at midnight lack most of the hustle that they see during the day, but not all. Muni's 24-hour lines still rumble past the building at 10th Street and Market that city politicians hope will anchor the revitalization of the perpetually-troubled mid-Market corridor.</p><br>

An inside look at a typical day in tech wonderland (pictures)

The CNET News team captures a close-up look at the tech industry throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. From Pinterest's lunch bell and YouTube's slides to Google's buses and Facebook's music room, this is our world.

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<p>In Silicon Valley, design is everything -- from software and hardware to data systems and even food. And now, some tech companies are breaking with the past as they plan for the future, foregoing traditional office parks in tan, prison-like campuses in favor of towering glass monuments, open floor plans, and plenty of green space. The idea: foster better collaboration, make happier employees, and attract the best talent.</p> <p>It's an ambitious goal, one that is luring famous designers and architects with the challenge of turning corporate buildings into art. Here are a few of the jaw-dropping designs soon to be built.</p> <p>Steve Jobs' lasting stamp on Apple's image will not be a new gadget, but a building. Apple is <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57613083-37/apple-receives-final-approval-for-new-spaceship-campus/" >already at work</a> constructing a new ring-shaped, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/2300-27076_3-10008118.html" >spaceship-like headquarters</a> in Cupertino, Calif. to supplement the current site at 1 Infinite Loop.</p>

Silicon Valley's new design mantra: Far-out, dude (pictures)

Many of the biggest names in technology have recently unveiled plans for fantastic, futuristic headquarters.

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