I’m Cydney Hayes, a writer and journalist based in San Francisco.

I am currently on staff at Gazetteer San Francisco, where I cover tech, business, and culture.

In the past year, I’ve broken stories on the toxic culture inside the $10B data-labeling startup Mercor, the Castro bars using discreet surveillance technology, the absurdist AI insurance startup Corgi, the Catholic church favored by conservative AI founders, the underground economy of gig workers who sell their biometric data to train AI models, and more.

In 2025, my article “In Between Gods, Looking for Work” — which explores the pervasive loneliness inside AI discussion clubs in the early days of the AI boom — received a feature writing award from the SF Press Club.

My work for Gazetteer has been cited in New York Magazine, WIRED, San Francisco Chronicle, Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me, and more.

I’ve also appeared on BBC News, Taylor Lorenz’s Power User podcast, and the Pacifica Radio Network.

I have bylines in The Drift, Architectural Digest, Baltimore, Entertainment Weekly, and elsewhere.

Personal projects:

🌐 OPENW0RLD, blog hosted on Substack

💌 Zines, sold at Green Apple Books (sold out!)