A windowless ground-floor unit for $4,750: the AI boom pushes San Francisco rents skyward

In the heart of the historic working-class and Latino Mission district in San Francisco, the door of a ground-floor unit next to a trendy coffee shop keeps opening. A private shuttle that ferries tech workers to their Silicon Valley headquarters farther south passes by every morning. The 796 sq.ft. (74-square-meter) apartment, recently renovated and furnished, is thoughtfully laid out, from the small open kitchen to the built-in closets. But it gets very little light. Of its two bedrooms, one has no windows. And it costs $4,750 a month. Still, the line is endless. Visitors stream through without pause, mostly young engineers fresh out of California universities, many of Asian descent. Each tries to win over the landlord in their own way, boasting of a high credit score. Many end up staring at their phones, filling out on the spot the long online form the owner requires. Scenes like this one are repeated every weekend.

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