Reclusive Billionaire Craigslist Founder Reveals Why He Quit San Francisco for New York

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark has revealed why he chose to ditch San Francisco in order to become a full-time philanthropist on the East Coast. In a recent candid interview with SFGATE, the internet pioneer, 73, opened up about his decision to relocate to New York five years ago, officially closing the book on his decades-long residence in the Golden State, where he launched his very lucrative online business. The tech mogul, who is originally from New Jersey, became an “accidental billionaire” during the original dot-com rush of the late 1990s thanks to the launch of his classified ads website, on which users can promote items and services for sale, send out calls for new roommates, and even find dates. Since then, a new generation of tech workers and venture capitalists have flooded into San Francisco, driving up real estate prices and fueling the latest AI boom, creating a landscape that Newmark admits he no longer recognizes. "It has changed a lot," Newmark admitted. "The industry is very young now. I don’t relate well to that. Also, my favorite coffee place on Cole Street is gone."Loading...Newmark has admitted he no longer feels at home in the city he once helped shape.Joh...