A real estate listing in San Francisco is catching attention not for its multi-million price tag but for what it accepts for payment: stocks in major artificial intelligence companies.
The unusual payment method illustrates Silicon Valley’s massive economic windfall from the AI industry that has also unleashed a real estate boom in the increasingly unaffordable Bay Area.
“My phone has been blowing up,” listing agent Rachel Swann told Business Insider. “It seems to be something that’s very exciting for people.”
The Zillow listing has a 3-bedroom, 2-bath residence in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle priced at a whopping $2,995,000, albeit relatively modest by San Francisco standards for a 2,495 square feet home.
The white, narrow three-story structure “that exudes opulence, harmony and unparalleled beauty” recently underwent a two-year transformation worth millions of dollars of its interior, the listing advertises. Pictures show marbles and tiles under designer lighting alongside luxurious baths. There is an oversized garage with two-car parking.
Plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems are all new, the ad claims. “This rare restored 1907 residence will wow all your senses,” it said.
The listing said it would take stock from startups OpenAI and Anthropic, considered the two leading startups in the nation if not the globe when it comes to the new technology.
OpenAI was valued at $852 billion as of March – an astronomical increase compared to three years prior, when a tender offer pegged its valuation at about $29 billion.
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s valuation recently reached a whopping $965 billion in its latest financing round — surpassing OpenAI to become the most valuable artificial intelligence startup.
Swann said the seller is a developer that believes very strongly in the two companies. She told Insider that the idea for accepting stock came from seeing droves of OpenAI and Anthropic employees and investors looking for space in a tight housing market.
According to Legal Clarity, any transactions with stocks must require a purchase agreement “that spells out the exact securities, the number of shares, and a specific date and time for the valuation.”
This is not the first property listing to seek shares in AI startups. Last month, the seller of a Mill Valley home said he was open to putting up a 4,400-square-foot home for shares in Anthropic.
