A.I.
Theodore Schleifer
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September 6, 2022
Zuck’s Money Man & Larry Page’s Larry Page
A tour through the subterranean world of Silicon Valley’s most elite and clandestine family offices.
Theodore Schleifer
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August 30, 2022
Can Thiel and McConnell Strike a Deal?
As Republicans unexpectedly labor to retake the Senate, the standoff between Thiel, the consummate contrarian, and McConnell, the consummate pragmatist, has suddenly become one of the most important relationships in the G.O.P. financial universe. Who is going to foot the bill for Vance and Masters: their ole mentor or potential future boss?
Theodore Schleifer
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August 23, 2022
Andreessen’s Politics, MacKenzie’s Network & The Left’s M.V.P.
A candid conversation with Dmitri Mehlhorn, the Democratic donor insider, about Trump, Cheney, 2024, and beyond. Plus, the latest dish surrounding Silicon Valley’s most important V.C., MacKenzie Scott’s friends, and the hottest party this weekend in Los Angeles.
Eriq Gardner
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August 22, 2022
Kim K & A $4.5B Heist: 10 Great Crypto Legal Dramas
The crypto boom unleashed a tidal wave of ingenuity from Wall Street to Hollywood—startups, scams, and, yes, outright theft. Now come the lawsuits, and an army of lawyers to fight over the wreckage.
Theodore Schleifer & Tina Nguyen
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August 16, 2022
Elon’s G.O.P. Alliance & The Ronny Revolution
Musk’s confab with Kevin McCarthy in Wyoming, on the same day that Republicans are running Liz Cheney out of town, raises questions about his new political allies. Plus updates on DeSantis donor fatigue and what Peter Thiel really wants from Washington.
Eriq Gardner
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August 15, 2022
Chaos on the Planet of the Bored Apes
A new lawsuit could influence the future of the NFT market. Oh, and there are alleged Nazis, too.
Theodore Schleifer
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August 9, 2022
Sergey Brin’s $100B Private Fiefdom
Bayshore, the family office at the center of Sergey Brin’s ongoing divorce, is a sprawling $100 billion entity with interests as disparate as Parkinson’s research, disaster relief, and superyacht management. Its real central interest, though, has been Sergey’s privacy—until now.
Theodore Schleifer
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August 2, 2022
Pelosi’s “Hot Ticket” & Thiel’s Donor Mystery
In San Francisco, speculation that Nancy Pelosi will soon depart Congress has given way to excitement and apprehension surrounding a potential last hurrah fundraising bacchanalia in Napa. Plus, news on the rise of a little-known G.O.P. shadow project aligned with Peter Thiel.
Dylan Byers & Theodore Schleifer
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July 29, 2022
An Alleged Affair to Remember
A close reading of the media melee over what did and didn’t happen between Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, and Nicole Shanahan reveals the second order consequences, near and far term.
Theodore Schleifer
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July 27, 2022
Notes on the Elon-Sergey Rift
The Journal’s decision to report that Elon Musk had a sexual "liaison" with Sergey Brin’s estranged wife—an affair that the parties now directly involved kinda-sorta deny—is being scrutinized in media circles with almost talmudic intensity. Is the reporting legit? And will Shanahan sue?
Theodore Schleifer
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July 27, 2022
The Washington Whisperers
As the midterms roil, it’s increasingly clear that Washington creatures are more than ever operating at the behest of Silicon Valley’s political class: Thiel and Conway, of course, but also S.B.F., Jan Koum, Ryan Salame, and a new crop of other budding mega-donors and mega-influencers.
Theodore Schleifer
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July 19, 2022
DeSantis Plays the Silicon Valley Money Machine
Ron (and Casey) DeSantis have been spending some time with the Thiels and Musks of the world as the tech industry rallies around a potential new 2024 favorite.
Theodore Schleifer
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July 12, 2022
Silicon Valley’s Abortion Schemes & Buffett’s Clinton Hire
A Thielian plan to circumvent Dobbs belies an uncomfortable reality for even the most progressive mega-donors. Plus news and notes on Buffett’s estate planning, Thiel’s fundraising machine, and Biden’s ambassador bingo.
Dylan Byers
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July 8, 2022
The Oracle of Sun Valley
Inside the Lodge at this year’s Allen & Co. conference, the conversation among the media-tech-finance elite has been dominated by two omnipresent obsessions: recession and the man who has predicted it, Larry Summers.
Theodore Schleifer
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July 5, 2022
The Passion of S.B.F. & The Next MacKenzie
Notes on the crypto king’s web3 bailout and Semafor media ambitions. Plus my conversation with Nicole Shanahan, who could be the next MacKenzie Scott.
Theodore Schleifer
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June 28, 2022
Silicon D.C.’s Post-Crash Reckoning
The inside conversation about Elon’s beef with MacKenzie, S.B.F.’s investment in Semafor, and the true story behind Eric Schmidt and Peter Thiel’s military-industrial collaboration.
Theodore Schleifer
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June 21, 2022
Thiel vs. Hoffman: Stanford Takes Toledo
A thirty-year political debate is unfurling in Ohio as two Silicon Valley billionaires, and longtime friends, trade fire in a proxy battle that will shape the next era of big-money politics.