San Francisco Tech Firms’ Police Protection Costs Revealed

Elon Musk once described violent crime in San Francisco as “horrific,” a sentiment that ultimately led him to relocate the headquarters of his social media company, X, outside the city in 2024. But rather than flee, a number of other prominent tech firms have chosen a different strategy: directly paying the San Francisco Police Department for on-site protection.

According to public records obtained by WIRED, Airbnb and Salesforce are among the businesses that have contracted uniformed, armed officers to guard their offices on a recurring basis. In 2024, the most recent year with complete data, Airbnb spent roughly $428,443 on police presence. Salesforce, working through a security vendor, paid approximately $727,907. These figures have not been disclosed publicly until now.

Salesforce’s security spending covered its offices in the city’s tallest building, the Salesforce Tower, as well as a nearby downtown property. The company also paid nearly $41,000 for police coverage at its TrailblazerDX 2024 conference at the city’s convention center.

The issue of tech company security has drawn renewed scrutiny following a recent incident in which a man allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and attempted to force his way into the company’s headquarters by ramming a chair into its glass doors. Authorities claim the suspect wrote a document criticizing AI technologies, named a goal of killing Altman, and referenced other AI executives. He faces both state and federal charges but has not yet entered a formal plea.

Despite the high-profile nature of the attack, neither OpenAI nor Anthropic, the two leading generative AI developers based in San Francisco, have been regular participants in the city’s paid police program, according to police spokesperson Allison Maxie. Salesforce, Anthropic, and Airbnb declined to comment. OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment.

The program, known locally as 10B after the section of the city code that authorizes it, allows any person, company, or organization to request additional law enforcement personnel or equipment for “law enforcement purposes,” provided the police chief approves. Companies pay the same hourly rates the city would, including overtime. As of early 2024, a standard officer cost $135 per hour during the day, while a lieutenant could cost nearly $190 per hour at night.

The program is typically used by organizations hosting concerts, events, and conferences, as well as sports teams. The largest spender in 2024 was the San Francisco Giants, who paid nearly $1.9 million. That same year, at least four NBA teams collectively paid about $16,500 for police escorts.

Several tech companies used the program on a one-time basis in 2024. Records show OpenAI paid $813.43 for coverage at the Asian Art Museum, Microsoft incurred a single bill of $1,622.16, and Zoox paid $838.43. Occasional customers in prior years have included Affirm, Cruise, Datadog, and Fanatics.

Zoox spokesperson Marisa Wiggam said the police were hired to protect a large offsite employee gathering, and the company would consider using the program again if needed. Microsoft and Affirm declined to comment. The other companies did not respond to requests for comment.

Beyond tech, the program has been used regularly by houses of worship, office building landlords, retail stores, and bank branches, including Apple, Bank of America, Best Buy, Bloomingdale’s, Chase, Lululemon, and Sephora. Security Industry Specialists, a firm, paid over $1.2 million in 2024 for police coverage at three Apple stores, making it the year’s second-largest customer.

An estimated 80 percent of police departments across the country allow officers to moonlight through informal or formal policies like San Francisco’s, according to a survey by Seth Stoughton, faculty director of the University of South Carolina’s Excellence in Policing & Public Safety Program. Some cities have raised concerns about conflicts of interest and liability risks, but Stoughton’s survey found that agencies permitting the practice say it benefits community relations and officers’ incomes.