Sierra Inks San Francisco’s Largest Office Lease of 2025

Artificial intelligence startup Sierra, co-founded by OpenAI chairman and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, is nearing one of the largest office leases of the year in San Francisco.

The enterprise-focused AI company has inked a deal for 300,000 square feet of offices at 185 Berry Street in China Basin, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The building is owned by McCarthy Cook and Company and JPMorgan Chase.

Sierra was founded in 2023 by Taylor and former Google Labs head Clay Bavor; it was recently valued at $10 billion. The firm currently leases about 80,000 square feet at 235 Second Street in South of Market.

Like other AI companies in the Bay Area and beyond, Sierra is in the midst of a growth spurt. The company currently has hundreds of employees and has plans to triple its head count down the line.

The China Basin complex at 185 Berry Street consists of two buildings on the edge of Mission Bay. Rideshare leader Lyft has its headquarters at China Basin, renewing its lease there last year while shaving down its footprint by more than half.

If Sierra closes its pending lease deal at the complex, it would be one of the biggest tech tenants in the city, ranking alongside AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic with office leases spanning six figures of square footage. Sierra’s deal would be the biggest new lease in the city since OpenAI’s 315,000-square-foot expansion in Mission Bay last year. At the top of this year, Google renewed its lease for 405,000 square feet at 345 Spear Street.

Last month, Anthropic agreed to expand its headquarters with an additional 100,000 square feet at 505 Howard Street. OpenAI, meanwhile, is now turning its focus to Silicon Valley after growing its headquarters operations in San Francisco; the Sam Altman-led firm is reportedly in the market for up to 500,000 square feet in the region, purportedly touring offices in Mountain View.

— Chris Malone Méndez