Ed Lee was on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt to discuss how San Francisco can work with startups to keep them from leaving the city. Mayor Lee basically layed-out why San Francisco needs to stay dynamic and how it can grow its knowledge-based industry.

SF Mayor Ed Lee: Our City’s Success Is Dependent On Engagement With Tech Companies

“I didn’t want to punish companies for growth,” Lee said, explaining that this increased understanding of Twitter’s perspective led him and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to create a payroll tax exemption on companies in the Mid-Market district, which stretches from 10th Street into parts of Tenderloin…

The mayor also brought up the case of Zynga, and referred to our TechCrunch story about the stock option tax as something that opened his eyes to the way city policies impact tech companies…

“What I like about the city is I like the excitement of success, and the technology companies are a huge part of what make this city successful,” Lee closed the talk saying. “Our city’s success will be dependent on our constant engagement with the technology companies … [and] If we don’t have our cities economically sound, then we’re a bad investment.”