Marshall Kools shares an apartment in San Francisco’s NoPa neighborhood with two roommates. He sleeps in a cozy nook under the stairs, reminiscent of Harry Potter’s quarters, and owns just one designer item: a Giorgio Armani dress shirt. Kools frequently plays Sade’s Love Deluxe album on repeat, a multiplatinum release from October 1992 that predates the first smartphone precursors and modern AI hype.
A New Generation of AI Prospectors
At 24, Kools co-founded a startup that deploys artificial intelligence to streamline white-collar administrative tasks. This innovation could disrupt traditional jobs in the sector. Like many in his age group across the city, he pursues opportunities in the booming AI field.
AI Buzz Dominates San Francisco
Conversations about AI fill the air in upscale Marina district venues like Celeste and Roaming Goat, as well as inside driverless Waymo vehicles gliding through the hilly streets. The current AI surge rivals the California Gold Rush, generating windfalls comparable to Sutter’s Mill strikes.
Massive Investments Fuel Talent Rush
Matt Deitke, born the same year as Kools, joined Meta’s Superintelligence Lab last year on a four-year, $250 million contract. This hire forms part of Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI.
