Selective tech hiring collides with Bay Area housing costs

Technology job postings reportedly increased while actual hiring softened and IT unemployment reached 3.3%, signaling continued selectivity despite AI-driven demand. Unverified reports of companies reversing some AI-related layoffs should be treated as an augmentation-versus-replacement signal, not a broad reversal. San Francisco rents near $4,400 for a one-bedroom and $6,340 for a two-bedroom make compensation negotiation, commute, hybrid terms, and neighborhood choice increasingly important.