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A.I.

The Silicon Valley Fundraising Stampede

Biden, DeSantis, and Scott will swing by the Bay Area later this month to pass the hat among tech execs.
Theodore Schleifer • September 13, 2023
Theodore Schleifer • September 12, 2023
Inside the Fall of S.B.F.’s Big Cool Buddy
Ryan Salame always stood out as the linen-and-loafered bro among the Math Camp crowd that surrounded S.B.F.
The backstory to the yearlong back-and-forth between prosecutors and Ryan Salame, the Berkshires restaurateur and Republican mega-donor who fought the feds for as long as he could—before folding.
Eriq Gardner • September 11, 2023
Hollywood’s Digital Botox Dilemma
Selena Gomez will be seeking at least $10 million in compensatory damages in a lawsuit with implication for A.I.-related legal battles to come.
As the A.I. age beckons, three cases could make or break an emerging industry: Selena Gomez’s digital doppelganger, the Grammys fallout from a Drake deepfake, and a face-tuning legal trap.
The city was Jan Sramek’s brainchild, but he probably couldn’t have gotten the ball rolling without Sir Mike Moritz, who became the linchpin of the plan.
Theodore Schleifer • September 6, 2023
Mike Moritzopolis
The legendary investor is knee-deep in an epic third act that combines being a modern Ron Conway, a civic-minded political organizer, mega-philanthropist, and the full-blown Robert Moses of Northern California.
Democratic analytics startup Deck is headed to the S.B.F. ash heap
Theodore Schleifer • August 23, 2023
Tales from the S.B.F. Bankruptcy Black Hole
How a Democratic startup, Deck, got trapped in M&A purgatory between FTX, Zuckerberg, Rory Gates, and the billionaire philanthropy-industrial complex.
For Ryan Salame to flip on Sam Bankman-Fried would suggest, symbolically at least, that his goose is cooked.
Theodore Schleifer • August 16, 2023
The Salame Witch Trial
Will S.B.F.’s former lieutenant finally succumb to the feds’ relentless pressure to flip? Or have tales of his demise been greatly exaggerated?
Until somewhat recently, even Tim Scott could only guess what Larry Ellison’s total pledge might be.
Theodore Schleifer • August 8, 2023
Larry Ellison’s Eight-Figure Anti-Trump Dowry
From the start, Ellison stood alone in his unwavering support for Tim Scott. Now, a still-secret eight-figure check promises to turn the candidate into a Late Stage DeSantis alternative for the Wall Street and Silicon Valley crowd.
For Elon’s super app to thrive in the U.S. today, it would have to wrangle meaningful market share from specialized services that consumers rely on, a devilishly difficult task.
Baratunde Thurston • August 6, 2023
Silicon Valley & The Race for the Everything App
Elon Musk is the latest tech brainiac hoping to build a Chinese-style super app, this time on the bones of Twitter. Too bad Apple already got there first.
Ron DeSantis’s donor roll has a striking absence of notable Silicon Valley names.
Theodore Schleifer • August 2, 2023
DeSantis’s Donor Disappointment & S.B.F.’s Forever Purgatory
The ’24 kingmakers in Silicon Valley have at last been revealed, and this cycle is full of surprises—think Jan Koum, not Elon Musk. Plus, are Bankman-Fried’s former political allies finally off the hook?
Ken Griffin has always been a politically aware center-right rich guy, sure, but he’s ascended to a new level on the G.O.P. donor Mount Rushmore after Trump.
Theodore Schleifer & William D. Cohan • July 25, 2023
Griffin vs. Dimon & The S.B.F. Delusion
A conversational power ranking of the top donors on Wall Street: Effron, Fink, Wolf, Schwarzman, and more. Plus notes on Ken Griffin’s DeSantis bet, Dimon’s ’24 flirtation, and whether S.B.F. is destined for the clink.
Ryan Salame and Michelle Bond were not married, even if they appeared to spend practically every waking moment together, traipsing about Greek community festivals and luxury car races.
Theodore Schleifer • July 19, 2023
An S.B.F. Arm Twist for Crypto’s Bonnie & Clyde
How Ryan Salame and Michelle Bond, the Potomac power couple fueled by FTX money, found themselves in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors and a jilted ex-husband with a joint interest in their downfall.
Peter Thiel had been a fixation in G.O.P. donor circles—a potential bottomless-pocketed heir to Sheldon Adelson or the Koch brothers.
Theodore Schleifer • July 11, 2023
Thiel, Brock & A Gutter Oppo Campaign for Our Times
When Peter Thiel emerged as the right’s potential heir to Sheldon Adelson during the ’22 midterms, a highly connected Democratic operative launched a guerilla opposition research campaign to chill his political influence. What happened next was sordid, and ultimately tragic, but also a telling reflection of a new era in political combat.
Theodore Schleifer • June 27, 2023
Wall Street ’24 Bets & Chris Christie’s Cornermen
Inside dish on the latest presidential dark-money shenanigans and G.O.P. donor games as the first major fundraising quarter draws to a close.
Elon Musk’s over-the-top salesmanship may finally come back to haunt him.
Eriq Gardner • June 26, 2023
The Elon Hubris Deposition Test
Would an ordinary person have been misled by Musk’s hyperventilating into believing that the company’s “self-driving” cars could actually, you know, drive themselves?
Theodore Schleifer • June 20, 2023
Has Anyone Seen Pierre Omidyar?
The reclusive and peripatetic billionaire philanthropist appears to be changing gears once again, with plans to seemingly scale back his political and philanthropic work. The fallout could be significant.
Theodore Schleifer • June 15, 2023
Scenes from S.B.F.’s Summer Vacation
Momentarily freed from house confinement to attend a court hearing in New York, America’s most notorious defendant catches an unexpected break.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Theodore Schleifer • June 13, 2023
More Jack-R.F.K. Drama & A New ’24 Longshot
News on the blowback facing Dorsey, a billionaire G.O.P. hopeful with Silicon Valley ties, and a high-profile departure in Dan Loeb’s inner circle.
Apple C.E.O. Tim Cook stands next to the new Apple Vision Pro headset.
Baratunde Thurston • June 11, 2023
Apple’s Beautiful, Lonely Vision
At its best, technology brings us together around shared screens and communal experiences. The Vision Pro headset, a huge leap forward for spatial computing, threatens to make us more isolated than ever.