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☆ Man Behind California Forever, Silicon Valley's City of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

He sees California Forever. And if he can't undo the damage, there may never be a California Forever. California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. But here's the thing: California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. Places like California Forever aren't being opposed by the people who are desperate for a place to live.

Persons: Jan Sramek's, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Marc Andreessen —, They've, Christie Hemm, Peter Thiel, Jan Sramek, Jan, Thiel, Goldman, CheatSheet, Sramek's, hadn't, Jonas Rave, who's, —, Guy Saidenberg, Evernote, Marc Andreessen, Jane Jacobs, He's, he'd, Robert Moses, growth.y Christie Hemm, Flannery, Bronson Johnson, David George, Andreessen Horowitz, Marilyn Farley, Farley, Solano County's, Kathleen Threlfall, Bill Mortimore, California Forever's, Jessica Christian, he's, Lyle Lanley, Solano, Sam Houston, weren't, Gabriel Metcalf, You've, John Garamendi, Garamendi, isn't, they'll, latte, Christie, Travis, I've, aren't, They're Organizations: Silicon, California, BI Development, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Party, Rising Star, Facebook, York, Sramek's, BI Sramek, Google, American, Planners, Sacramento -, Travis Air Force Base, Area, titans, Farmers, councilwoman, California Forever, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Air Force, Flannery Associates, Disney, San Francisco, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum, Rep, BI, Solano, Sierra, Goldman Locations: San Francisco, It's, Sramek, California, Rio Vista, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, America, London, Zurich, England, Czech Republic, Dřevohostice, York, British, Eastern Europe, Cambridge, Bay Area, Hayes Valley, America's cutest, Atlanta, Phoenix, Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Toledo , Ohio, Silicon, Google's, Toronto, Big Tech, China, Calif, Springfield, Vallejo, He's, Atherton, Foreverville, Fairfield, Austin, Solano, Valley, Europe

☆ The new power figures in hedge funds do not manage money
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . On the agenda:But first: Why Wall Street is so happy to see the job market slowing down. New data from Vanguard shows a two-tier job market: one divided between a blue-collar boom and a white-collar recession. Also read:AdvertisementiStock; Rebecca Zisser/BIThe portfolio-manager whisperersThe new power figures in hedge funds do not manage money.

Persons: —, it's, Brian Rose, It's, Christie Hemm, Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Alyssa Powell, Stefano Spicca, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Rebecca Zisser, whisperers, Gates Organizations: Business, Service, Federal Reserve, Fed, UBS Global Wealth Management, Big, Silicon, California, Vanguard, Microsoft, Big Tech Locations: Austrian, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, California, Silicon Valley, New York City

☆ AI boom in Silicon Valley is going to worsen the housing problem, says CEO of billionaire-backed company trying to build a new city near San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jan Sramek, CEO of California Forever, wants to build a new city in Solano County, California. The recent "AI boom" will only make the housing crisis worse, Sramek told Kara Swisher. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Previously published information from California Forever revealed that the city will be about 18,600 acres with a capacity to welcome 400,000 residents. A California Forever spokesperson didn't address the question in an emailed response to Business Insider.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Sramek, Kara Swisher, —, Goldman Sachs, didn't, The Lever Organizations: Service, Silicon, California Forever, Business, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Research Locations: California, Solano County , California, Northern California, Solano County, San Francisco, Golden State, Bay, Palo Alto

☆ The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Conor Dougherty | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For six years a mysterious company called Flannery Associates, which Mr. Sramek controlled, had upended the town of 10,000 by spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy every farm in the area. It sued a group of holdouts who had refused its above-market offers, on the grounds that they were colluding for more. Residents worried it could be a front for foreign spies looking to surveil a nearby Air Force base. The truth was that Mr. Sramek wanted to build a city from the ground up, in an agricultural region whose defining feature was how little it had changed. They and others from the technology world had spent some $900 million on farmland in a demonstration of their dead seriousness about Mr. Sramek’s vision.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Flannery, Sramek, Michael Moritz, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs Organizations: American Legion, Flannery Associates, Air Force, Silicon, LinkedIn, Emerson, Apple Locations: Rio Vista, Calif, Rio

☆ New California city backed by Silicon Valley billionaires will be about 18,600 acres — less than half the size of the purchased land
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Notably, the acreage is less than half of the nearly 55,000 acres Flannery Associates purchased presumably for the project since at least 2018. Flannery Associates has spent about $800 million grabbing up land throughout the county that sits about 60 miles above San Francisco. But the group also has been in a contentious legal battle with a handful of Solano County landowners since May. In a lawsuit, Flannery Associates accused landowners of conspiring to inflate the land prices. In response, attorneys for the landowners accused Flannery Associates of using "strong-arm tactics" to pressure landowners into selling their land.

Persons: —, Flannery, Solano County —, Flannery Associates, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Flannery overpaid, Jan Sramek, Flannery Will Ruin, Mitch Mashburn, Mashburn Organizations: Silicon, Service, Flannery Associates, Solano Homes, Jobs, Clean Energy Initiative, New York Times, LinkedIn, Local, NBC Locations: California, Solano County, Vallejo , Fairfield, Solano, San Francisco, Silicon

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Promoters of a secretive Silicon Valley-backed ballot initiative to build a new city on farmland between Sacramento and San Francisco are releasing more details of their plan as they submit paperwork Wednesday to qualify for the November election. That's why Jan Sramek, CEO and founder of California Forever, and the project's backers are turning to the ballot. California and the San Francisco Bay Area are desperate for more housing, especially affordable homes for teachers, firefighters, police and other municipal workers who make a city run. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesSituated between the Bay Area and the state's capital, Solano County is an attractive location for military contractors, agriculture technology and construction tech companies seeking to innovate, said Gabriel Metcalf, head of planning for California Forever. The plan calls for $400 million to help Solano County residents buy homes in the proposed community.

Persons: stealthily, Jan Sramek, Gabriel Metcalf, Metcalf, Sramek, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, ”, John Garamendi Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, California, Travis Air Force Base, Solano County —, San, California Forever, LinkedIn, Democratic U.S . Rep, U.S . Air Force Locations: Sacramento, San Francisco, Solano County, Rio Vista, California, San Francisco Bay, Texas, Vallejo, Fairfield, Silicon Valley

Jan Sramek has spent the past several months in restaurants and conference rooms pitching politicians, environmentalists and labor unions on a plan to erect a new California city on open farmland in an eastern corner of the San Francisco Bay Area. The project is backed by a host of big Silicon Valley names, including the venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Marc Andreessen, the LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman, and the Emerson Collective founder, Laurene Powell Jobs. At an event Wednesday evening, Mr. Sramek, the chief executive of a company called California Forever, took his case to the Solano County voters. Mr. Sramek took it in stride, patiently answering questions and appearing mostly unruffled. He promised improved infrastructure, employment and middle-class homes for the county’s 450,000 residents.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Michael Moritz, Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Sramek, ”, “ Flannery Will Ruin Organizations: San Francisco Bay Area, LinkedIn, Emerson Collective, Solano County voters, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum Locations: California, San Francisco Bay, Solano County

☆ Billionaire group behind mystery Silicon Valley city says it's done buying up land. The company now owns a property the size of Beaumont, Texas.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The group, Flannery Associates, has so far purchased more than 53,000 acres of land. Flannery Associates has been grabbing plots of land in Solano County, about 60 miles from San Francisco, for the past five years. Flannery Associates had acquired about 52,000 acres of farmland around Travis Air Force Base in rural Solano County. AdvertisementAdvertisementFlannery filed a lawsuit against a group of Solano County landowners and farmers in May, claiming that they conspired to inflate land prices. An attorney for Flannery Associates did not respond to a request for comment sent outside business hours.

Persons: Flannery, —, it's, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell, Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Silicon, Flannery Associates, Service, Bloomberg, Travis Air Force Base Locations: California, Beaumont , Texas, Sioux Falls , South Dakota, Solano County, San Francisco, Solano County .

☆ A mystery company backed by Silicon Valley elites is buying up land to build a new city. Farmers say they've been pressured to sell up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New filings accuse the company backed by Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman of forcing farmers to sell up. Solano County farmers say Flannery Associates targeted them with pressure tactics and litigation. The company has bought up 52,000 acres outside San Francisco to build a utopian city. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company that wants to create an entirely new city in California, and that's backed by Silicon Valley billionaires, has been accused of coercing farmers into selling their land. AdvertisementAdvertisementCalifornia Forever, the parent company behind Flannery Associates, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, sent outside normal working hours.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Flannery, —, John Garamendi, Jan Sramek, Mark Friedman, Princess Washington Organizations: Service, Silicon, Bloomberg, California, KQED, New York Times, Flannery Associates Locations: Solano, San Francisco, California, Solano County, Sacramento, Princess, Suisun City

☆ I looked at the plans for the new city proposed by Silicon Valley elites. They're really terrible.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Right now, California Forever is just a website with some ideology and a handful of hopeful sketches with a faintly socialist-utopian flair. AdvertisementAdvertisementCities of the future of the pastThe California Forever art illustrations show at a place that'll look startlingly familiar. Point is, the garden city remains a dream honored more in the breach — in pitches like the one for California Forever. Just about 60 miles southeast of the California Forever site is a residential development called Mountain House. It's what plans like California Forever look like when brick starts getting laid.

Persons: Daniel Burnham, Burnham, Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, Michael Moritz, Laurene Powell Jobs, Collison, Flannery, Peter Thiel, Goldman, Jan Sramek, Sramek, Ebenezer Howard, Howard, What's, Foreverville, That's, it's, Banks, John Nash's London, what's, It's, Walt Disney, Gabriel Metcalf, BH Bronson Johnson, Dan Parolek, Adam Rogers Organizations: Travis Air Force Base, New York Times, Flannery Associates, Industry, Truman, California, Western Railway, California Forever, St, BH Locations: Chicago, California, Solano County, Sacramento, Solano, Silicon, Los Angeles, England, Japan, New York, Philadelphia, Seaside , Florida, Pontevedra, Spain, Paris, Tempe, doesn't, Foreverville, Pirates, Caribbean, Toronto, Culdesac

☆ The Silicon Valley investors who secretly bought up $800 million in Northern California real estate reveal unexpected plans for 'a city of yesterday'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Chris Kaye | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A mysterious company backed by Silicon Valley investors has been purchasing land near San Francisco. They're planning to build a retro city on the 52,000 acres of farmland they bought. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Silicon Valley investors that got the government's attention by gobbling up $800 million worth of land outside San Francisco say the mystery city they plan on building is, well… kinda retro. Solano County Google Maps"The plans that people put forward will be very inspired by those great old American neighborhoods that someone who was born 100 years ago will recognize," Sramek told KQED.

Persons: —, we've, Jan Sramek, Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz of, Reid Hoffman, Flannery, who've, Catherine Moy, Moy, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Musk, Chap Ambrose, Ambrose, Azmi Haroun Organizations: Service, KQED, The New York Times, Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital, Flannery Associates, Travis Air Force Base, Solano County Google, Boring Company, SpaceX, Washington Post Locations: Silicon, San Francisco, California, Solano County, Bay, Fairfield, Solano Silicon, Austin , Texas, Bastrop Country

☆ Positivity alone won't increase your lifespan, experts say—you must also possess these key personal traits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Staying positive is also a key piece of advice for anyone hoping to live a long, healthy life. Centenarians, or those who reach 100 years old, frequently credit their lengthy lifespan to their positive attitude. Personality can be a "big factor" when it comes to longevity, says Petr Sramek, CEO of Healthy Longevity Clinic, a medical practice that seeks to extend clients' lives. Don't miss: 100-year-old sisters share 5 simple tips for leading a long, happy life Let's say a client has chronic inflammation, Sramek says. But they must possess the type of personality that is willing to seek and accept help.

Persons: Ruth Sweedler, Madeline Paldo, doesn't, Petr Sramek, Sramek, — Organizations: CNBC, Healthy Longevity Clinic

☆ 100-year-olds have interesting advice on how to live longer, but 'you cannot use it as guidance,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The number of centenarians, or those who live until 100, is on the rise, prompting many of us to wonder: What's their secret? To find out, it makes sense to go straight to the source and ask these super-agers what they are doing differently. Petr Sramek is the CEO of Healthy Longevity Clinic, a medical practice that uses health biomarkers, such as blood pressure or DNA, to create a plan that will lengthen a client's life. For a hefty price tag, the clinic will design you a "roadmap" based on your own health needs. Advice from this demographic might be interesting, but "you cannot use it as guidance for anyone else," he says.

Persons: Petr Sramek, Sramek Organizations: Healthy Longevity Clinic

☆ Silicon Valley billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but locals are skeptical of the project: 'Their secrecy has caused a lot of problems'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Janie Har | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Silicon Valley billionaires revealed plans to build a new city after buying $800 million in land. The land was quietly purchased in Solano County, a rural area near San Francisco and Sacramento. Most of the land purchased is in the southeastern portion of the county, with parcels stretching from Fairfield to Rio Vista. Billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but they're encountering wavering support from locals and lawmakers. Solano County homes are among the most affordable in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a median sales price of $600,000 last month.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Flannery, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Marc Andreeseen, Lauren Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz, Paul Chinn, Countess, Michael Kovac, Sramek, Mike Thompson, Terry Chea, Princess Washington, Thompson, they're, he's, John Garamendi, Hoffman, Andreessen, Ron Kott, Kott Organizations: Service, FRANCISCO, Flannery Associates, Silicon, LinkedIn, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Getty, Fair, Solano, US Air Force, FBI, of Treasury, AP, San Francisco Bay Area, Travis Air Force Base, US Locations: Solano County, San Francisco, Sacramento, Wall, Silicon, Northern California, Solano, Silicon Valley, California, Fairfield, Rio Vista, U.S, United Kingdom, Ireland, walkable, Terry Chea California, California's, San Francisco Bay, Princess, Suisun City, Travis

☆ A company that counts billionaires Marc Andreessen and Laurene Powell Jobs as investors says it's bought 50,000 acres of land to build a new 'walkable' city in northern California. Here's everything w
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

California Forever says it wants to build a "walkable" city with new jobs, surrounded by an agricultural greenbelt. The company, Flannery Associates, has been quiet until now, but its parent company California Forever just launched a new website detailing its master plan. Solano County sits between Sacramento, San Francisco, and Napa Valley, and has a population of around 450,000 across just over 900 square miles. Sramek founded California Forever in 2017 and recently bought a family home there. "Now that we're no longer limited by confidentiality, we are eager to begin a conversation about the future of Solano County," it says.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Flannery, Jan Sramek, he'd, Jan, Sramek, it's, Who's, Chris Dixon, John Doerr, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Reid Hoffman, Michael Moritz, Andreessen Horowitz, Patrick, John Collison Organizations: Goldman, Service, Flannery Associates, California Forever, Travis Air Force Base, California Forever's, California Delta, California Locations: San Francisco, California, Wall, Silicon, Solano County, Sacramento, Napa Valley, Solano, Fairfield, Rio Vista, walkable

What if you built a new city from the ground up? Mr. Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader, had moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to make it in tech. He was a European immigrant smitten with the energy of local start-ups, but he preferred more walkable cities like Zurich. Soon, he began taking fishing trips to Solano County on the San Francisco Bay’s eastern edge. A rural corner of the county eventually became the centerpiece of a plan hatched by Mr. Sramek to build a city from scratch.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Flannery Organizations: San, San Francisco Bay Area, Flannery Associates Locations: San Francisco Bay, European, Zurich, Solano County, San Francisco, Silicon Valley

Jan Sramek was 15 years old the first time he tried to get a government to do something he wanted. The problem was his town of 1,400 people had only dial-up internet service. He persuaded the local government to pay an internet service provider to bring the town a broadband connection. He was even paid a commission for it, Mr. Sramek wrote in “Racing Towards Excellence,” a sort of self-help book for ambitious young adults he co-wrote in 2009. The next campaign for Mr. Sramek could be more profitable.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Sramek Organizations: Silicon Locations: Drevohostice, Czech Republic, Northern California

☆ Mysterious new California city backed by some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of the city of San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge in California, October 28, 2021. Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader, has been quietly working to build an urban utopia in California nestled near San Francisco and Silicon Valley. But just a few years after the mysterious project got underway, it is facing increasing scrutiny from local officials and residents. Local residents were unnerved by the company as it bought up more and more land, according to the report. Read more at The New York Times.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Flannery, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Michael Moritz, Read Organizations: The New York Times, Flannery Associates, Bloomberg, LinkedIn, Democratic, Times Locations: San Francisco, California, Silicon

☆ A mystery company backed by Silicon Valley billionaires has purchased tens of thousands of acres of land for more than $800 million to build a new city near San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A company called Flannery Associates has been purchasing land in a county near San Francisco. The company, Flannery Associates, has spent $800 million to purchase thousands of acres of farmland in Solano County, which sits northeast of San Francisco, court documents obtained by Insider show. But the spending price has since soared, with Flannery spending up to $15,000 per acre, lawyers for Flannery Associates said in court documents. Attorneys for Flannery Associates and the landowners did not respond to a request for comment outside of working hours. AdvertisementAdvertisementMusk recently purchased 3,500 acres of land outside of Austin, Texas, to build a town he intends to call "Snailbrook."

Persons: Flannery, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Catherine Moy, Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz of, Reid Hoffman, Moritz, Y, We're, Bill Gates, Elon Musk Organizations: Service, Silicon, The New York Times, Flannery Associates, Street Journal, Travis Air Force Base, Air Force Base Google, ABC, Times, Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital, LinkedIn, Solano County Google, The Times, Tech Locations: San Francisco, Wall, Silicon, California, Solano County, Fairfield, Real, Austin , Texas, Colorado

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