How Stephen Curry’s $8.5M San Francisco headquarters plan fell apart after a bitter union fight(Getty Images)
Thirty Ink said the privately funded development did not require union workers, but the company still offered to have 40% of the workforce come from the union as a compromise. Thirty Ink spokesperson Michael Smith announced the cancellation on April 3, 2025, and made it clear how frustrated Curry’s side had become. In a statement about the cancelled headquarters, Smith said, “Our dream of building a new Thirty Ink HQ at 600 20th Street has been destroyed by the [Nor Cal Carpenters Union]. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle in April, 2025, Singer said, “Either you want to do what is right or you want to undercut the labor standards and hurt working men and women. Singer then brought Curry’s basketball career into the argument, saying, “Local 22 of the Carpenters Union will not let anyone, even an NBA superstar, undercut labor standards.
In March 2025, Thirty Ink COO Tiffany Williams told the San Francisco Chronicle that the Dogpatch move would “cement” the company’s commitment to San Francisco, showing that Curry’s work away from basketball would continue even after his playing career eventually ended. The main disagreement centred on how much union labour the project would use, and the two sides gave sharply different accounts of how the dispute reached the breaking point. The union strongly disputed that version of events. Sam Singer, a spokesperson for the Nor Cal Carpenters Union, argued that the size of the development did not determine whether union labour standards applied. The union also questioned Thirty Ink’s choice of general contractor, Achill Beg Construction, which it accused of having a poor record with union labour. Curry’s basketball career was entering its later stage, but his business ambitions were moving in the opposite direction.
Because thirty Ink had already received approval for the development and expected construction to take around 18 months, that vision made the April cancellation particularly striking.
Thirty Ink said the building could contribute to the wider redevelopment of Dogpatch and strengthen its long-term connection with the Bay Area. Instead of seeing the building rise near Chase Center, Curry’s team suddenly had to deal with a dispute that threatened the entire plan. That effort showed just how much interest surrounded Curry’s planned headquarters. The project had also been pitched as more than a private office.