The Techbro Turf War Over AI’s Most Hardcore Hacker House

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the rivalry between two hacker houses, both claiming the name "AGI House," in Silicon Valley. It explores the battle for supremacy, branding, and the future of artificial intelligence between the two houses, one located in Hillsborough and the other in San Francisco.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Rivalry Between the Two AGI Houses

1. What are the key points of contention between the two AGI Houses?

• The two houses are feuding over the sole right to call themselves "AGI House" and are engaged in a legal battle over the trademark.
• The Hillsborough house is run by Rocky Yu, while the San Francisco house was started by former Google Brain researcher Jeremy Nixon.
• The Hillsborough house is facing an existential crisis due to complaints from the city about hosting events, while the San Francisco house is focused on building an "intellectual community."
• The two houses have competing visions, with Yu wanting to platform and invest in AI startups, while Nixon envisions a more informal, commune-like community.

2. How did the split between the two houses occur?

• The split occurred when Nixon decided not to renew the lease for the Hillsborough property and transferred it to Yu, who claims he was always meant to take over the house.
• Nixon then leased a property in San Francisco's Twin Peaks neighborhood and named it AGI House, leading to the two competing houses.

3. What are the legal and regulatory challenges faced by the Hillsborough AGI House?

• The Hillsborough house is facing complaints from the city about noise, traffic, and commercial use, and the city is drafting a zoning amendment to clamp down on such issues.
• The house's owner, Stanley Lo, is trying to sell the property for $58 million, while Yu is fighting the city's actions, calling the proposed zoning amendment "unconstitutional."

[02] The Competing Visions and Ambitions of the AGI Houses

1. What are the different visions and ambitions of the two AGI Houses?

• The Hillsborough house, led by Yu, is focused on platforming and investing in AI startups, with the goal of creating a "Warholian exercise in buzz and branding."
• The San Francisco house, founded by Nixon, aims to build a global network of "intellectual communities" to achieve "every great techno-scientific mission," similar to the Soho House model.

2. What are some of the notable supporters and activities of the two AGI Houses?

• The Hillsborough house has hosted events with high-profile guests like Sergey Brin, Grimes, and former Google executives, and claims to have birthed several startup success stories.
• The San Francisco house has hosted gatherings of "effective accelerationists" and has notable supporters like Google Cloud, AI startups, and a co-founder of Elon Musk's xAI.

3. How do the founders of the two houses view each other's contributions and claims?

• Nixon claims he is the true founder of both AGI Houses and that Yu is standing on top of his work, while Yu dismisses Nixon's contributions and claims to the Hillsborough house.