Les Orchard6d ago

I see NPR has caught on to the weirdness that are San Francisco billboards in the AI era. Been watching them get increasingly bonkers between my periodic trips to town since work trips picked up again after peak COVID.

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/18/nx-s1-5746115/billboards-san-francisco-tech-ai-advertising-marketing

Show threadLes Orchard
Like, yeah, tech ads have plastered SF for years. But I feel like they used to share some space with more mainstream consumer brands. Now it seems like every surface of ad space is occupied by some niche IYKYK oddity or another with a clever-to-them slogan that seems a little desperate to be cool
Mar 18 at 6:04pmWeb
Show threadwohali6d ago
@lmorchard who else can afford the ad space?
Show threadLes Orchard6d ago
@wohali True 🙃
Show threadj-r conlin5d ago

@lmorchard

Look, the VC advisor said we need to get our message that we have the best way to spriggen their floors in front of the twelve potential customers who might drive that route instead of taking their heli from San Ramon to Moffett.

The fact that he holds a 48% stake in the billboard company was not relevant.

Show threadmhoye5d ago
@jrconlin @lmorchard Inhave a serious suspicion that billboards in the valley exist to convince employees their company is relevant enough that they shouldn’t bail.
Show threadChris "Crunchy Leaf" Salzman5d ago
@lmorchard I was there for the first time a few months ago and it was bewildering. felt like a parallel universe of ads.
Show threadrelsqui5d ago
@csalzman @lmorchard I live here and it still feels like that!