San Francisco's A. I. boom has reshaped the city's dating scene, turning first dates into high-stakes interviews. Young tech founders and engineers, many working 996 schedules, are dating less frequently but applying rigorous criteria to each encounter.
Mehul Agarwal, 24, co-founder of A. I. start-up Koyal, seeks a partner who is smart, beautiful, kind, and reciprocates his feelings, preferably from Stanford or M. I.
T. Start-up culture dictates dating norms, with founders screening partners like job candidates. Dating coaches like Joyce Zhang, a former Stripe product manager, coach clients using tech vocabulary such as "top of funnel" and "conversion rate." Some clients track dating data in spreadsheets or use A.
I. chatbots to analyze patterns and draft replies. The intensity has led some, like Sina Hartung, to leave the scene entirely. For others, the pressure is immense, with some entering the arranged marriage circuit by age 28 if romance remains elusive amid the pursuit of A.
I. fortunes.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing