Murphy Turner
Anthropic wizard by day, hobby hero by night
AI safety researcher, rock climber, board game enthusiast, experimental chef, amateur comedian, and collector of things that plug into CRT televisions.
The man behind the hobbies
By day, Murphy Turner works at Anthropic in San Francisco, where he spends his time making sure AI doesn't develop a sudden appreciation for existential dread. He is one of the reasons your chatbot hasn't tried to unionize yet.
But he wasn't always a fog-dodging, tech-talking San Franciscan. Murphy grew up in Massachusetts, where he learned three essential life skills: shoveling snow, complaining about the Red Sox, and distinguishing between a 'regular coffee' and a 'regular coffee with milk.' He moved west for the AI, stayed for the year-round patio weather.
The contrast between coasts is not lost on him. In Boston he'd order a 'Dunkin' regulah.' In SF he orders a 'single-origin oat milk lavender latte' and says it with a straight face.
Massachusetts
Born. Raised. Acquired a permanent accent that emerges under duress.
San Francisco
Works at Anthropic. Owns zero winter coats. Has adapted fully.
Hobbies of mass distinction
Clicking through these will not give you superpowers. It will, however, give you a very clear picture of how Murphy spends his free time (and most of his paycheck).
Murphy climbs rocks because they remind him of his to-do list: vertical, intimidating, and full of holds he can't reach. Has definitely yelled 'I'm not stuck, I'm resting' at least 47 times.
Owns 37 board games, has read the rulebooks cover-to-cover for all 37, has successfully convinced people to play exactly 4 of them. Monopoly ended a friendship in 2019. No regrets.
His signature dish is 'Refrigerator Surprise' - whatever expired ingredients he finds, reimagined as a gourmet experience. The surprise is that it's somehow always edible. Somehow.
Performs at open mics where the audience is 3 other comics and a bartender who's heard it all. His best bit is about how AI alignment is easier than parallel parking in San Francisco.
His collection includes a working Atari 2600, a Sega Dreamcast, and a mysterious Chinese bootleg console that only plays 74 versions of Tetris. He is terrified to turn it on after midnight.
Fun facts (not guaranteed fun)
Quirky anecdotes that will either make you love Murphy or deeply question his life choices. Possibly both.
Murphy once tried to explain 'June Gloom' to a friend from Boston. The friend responded by sending a photo of their car buried under 3 feet of snow with the caption 'Enjoy your damp air.'
Grew up shoveling driveways in Massachusetts. Now he considers it a crisis if he has to wear a jacket when it drops below 60 degrees in SF.
Claims he can taste the altitude the beans were grown at. In Massachusetts he drank Folgers. Now he spends $8 on a pour-over and posts it to his Instagram story.
Once spent 45 minutes explaining LLM alignment at a party. Three people left. One stayed and started dating him. He calls that a win-win.
Owns exactly one pair of snow boots and 14 pairs of flip-flops. The snow boots have never been used in SF. He keeps them 'for emergencies' like a particularly cold walk to the corner store.
When he goes back to Massachusetts, his 'wicked strong' Boston accent returns within 3 hours of landing. In SF, he says 'hella.' He is a traitor to both coasts.
Once parallel parked a Prius on Russian Hill in one try. No one saw it. He still thinks about it every day.
Drop a line (or a haiku)
Have a joke to share? A board game recommendation? A hot dog sandwich argument to settle? Murphy wants to hear it. Probably.