Daily Digest: OpenAI says it's poised to buy Google Chrome, DeNova Homes CEO charged with bribery
Good morning, Bay Area. Starting the day with national news, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he plans to be 'very nice' to China in any trade talks and that tariffs will diminish if the two countries can reach a deal. On Wall Street, markets responded Wednesday as the Dow Jones ticked up 2.5%, the S&P 500 rose 3% and the Nasdaq went up 4%. In other news, San Francisco is moving to establish a tax increment financing district for office-to-residential conversions in its downtown. Mayor Daniel Lurie and Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation Tuesday to create the financing district. Reporter Sarah Klearman has the details. In labor, Amazon is facing pressure from federal labor officials after refusing to negotiate with a group of unionized warehouse workers in San Francisco. The Chronicle reports that on Monday, the National Labor Relations Board filed a legal complaint alleging that Amazon violated labor law by not recognizing the Teamsters union at its DCK6 facility, even after a majority of workers signed union authorization cards in the fall. And finally, South San Francisco payments processing company Stripe plans to open a new office in the fall — just not in the Bay Area. Here's what else is moving and shaking at midweek.
OpenAI says it's willing to buy Chrome browser if Google is forced to sell
OpenAI would be interested in buying Chrome if Google is compelled to sell the browser as a remedy to its antitrust violations, OpenAI's head of product said yesterday in court, Bloomberg reports. 'Yes, we would, as would many other parties,' Nick Turley, OpenAI's ChatGPT chief said in response to a question about whether the company would seek to buy Google's browser. Turley was called by the Justice Department to testify as part of a trial aimed at enumerating what changes Google must make to its business after a federal judge found last year that the company monopolized the search market.
CEO, VP of Concord-based DeNova Homes charged in scheme to bribe Antioch city councilmember
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday unsealed a two-count indictment charging property developers David and Trent Sanson with conspiracy and bribery in connection with offering to pay an Antioch City Councilmember $10,000, and later giving the Councilmember a company travel mug with $5,000 in cash in exchange for favorable treatment for one of their development projects. The Councilmember reported the alleged bribe to the FBI. Both defendants made their initial appearances in federal court this week. According to the indictment filed April 3, David Sanson, 60, is the owner and CEO of Concord-based DeNova Homes and his son, Trent Sanson, 33, is the vice president. The development company has a number of projects in Antioch and neighboring areas, including the Aviano project, a multi-phase 533-unit residential development project. Meanwhile, David Sanson's attorney, Winston Y. Chan, told the Bay Area News Group that his client is innocent and was unfairly targeted.
Supes turn over new leaf for chain stores in San Francisco
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved changes to reduce regulations for potential chain stores on Van Ness between Redwood Street and Broadway in a unanimous vote. Retailers that now want to open stores along that stretch of Van Ness will no longer need a special permit that often takes between a year and a year and a half to get. Instead, a chain store will get immediate approval as long as it meets all other planning code requirements.
International tourism takes hit in the city
San Francisco saw its international tourism come back by 2024 and there were high hopes for this year, but as the SF Standard reports, data from 2025 shows that S.F.'s draw of foreign visitors has hit a rough patch since President Trump has taken office. In February, the number of visitors arriving in the city from Western Europe dropped by more than 6% compared to the previous year, according to preliminary data from the International Trade Administration. Meanwhile, the number of visitors arriving in San Francisco from Asia in February dropped by 5.5%. Overall, overseas visitors coming to San Francisco have dropped nearly 5%.
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M&A Watch
Mountain View-based Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU) agreed to acquire GoCo, a provider of HR and benefits solutions that's raised $27 million from firms like ATX Venture Partners. Terms weren't disclosed.
People on the Move
Tax firm Andersen has added five industry veterans in San Francisco to its C-suite: Bill Deckelman, chief legal officer; Paul Ernst, chief technology officer; Neal Livingston, chief financial officer; Ed Prokop, head of strategic acquisitions; and Gregory Vistica, head of investor relations.
Funding Watch
Endor Labs, a Palo Alto software supply chain security company, raised $93 million in Series B funding. DFJ Growth led, joined by Salesforce Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, Dell Technologies Capital, Section 32 and Citi Ventures.
Final thought …
A San Mateo County beach with au naturel history dating back to the '60s is being preserved in a $10 million deal, the Mercury News reports. The nude beach San Gregorio Ranch, located at Highway 1 and Highway 84, has been snapped up by nonprofit Palo Alto environmental group the Peninsula Open Space Trust from the family of Walter Bridge, a former dairy farmer who owned it until his death in 2005. And just in time for summer!
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