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A.I.

Sam Bankman-Fried

S.B.F.’s Appeal Chances & The New Crypto Frontiers

News and notes on the quarter-century sentencing heard round the world, plus the legal and regulatory jiu-jitsu of a new breed of finance frontiersmen.
Eriq Gardner • April 1, 2024
Theodore Schleifer • March 26, 2024
Nicole in Wonderland
Nicole Shanahan Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Just a few years ago, Nicole Shanahan was being courted by everyone in Silicon Valley as the next great hope for the Democratic Party. Then her life went topsy-turvy, and she fell down the rabbit hole for R.F.K., Jr.
Baratunde Thurston • March 24, 2024
How to Survive the ’24 Info Wars
Shou Zi Chew Linda Yaccarino Mark Zuckerberg
An illuminating and often terrifying conversation with Jiore Craig, a misinformation specialist, about the unexpected ramifications of a TikTok ban, how bad actors prey on anxious populations, and how we can protect ourselves from manipulation.
Dustin Moskovitz
Theodore Schleifer • March 20, 2024
DustinBucks
The Facebook co-founder and effective altruist Dustin Moskovitz spent up to $100 million to defeat Donald Trump last cycle. This time around, with an eye on beating back the Andreessens and Musks of the world, he is finally leaning into his power… and his checkbook.
jack dorsey
Theodore Schleifer • March 7, 2024
The Rise and Fall of Jack and Bobby
The bizarre and totally unsurprising story of how Jack Dorsey’s advocacy for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unnerved some members of the Block board.
Sam Bankman-Fried
Eriq Gardner • March 5, 2024
S.B.F.’s Sentencing Game Theory
Bankman-Fried’s lawyers appear to be setting the stage to appeal his sentence—and potentially redefine the definition of fraud, itself.
jeff bezos blue origin
Eriq Gardner • March 4, 2024
Bezos’s “Superstar” Nightmare & Ari’s Legal Headaches
The surreal legal drama around how Musk’s $55 billion clawback could ricochet onto Jeff Bezos in their aerospace rivalry. Plus, notes on Ari Emanuel’s ongoing headaches with Vince McMahon.
Marc Andreessen
Theodore Schleifer • February 23, 2024
Marc Andreessen Eats Washington
After a long political “spirit walk,” Silicon Valley’s most famous V.C. is starting PACs, hiring elite political consultants, messaging with his favorite right-wingers and once again spreading capital across D.C.—all to pump up his investments and spread the gospel of Marc.
joe biden
Theodore Schleifer • February 14, 2024
The Biden Donor Dilemma
As the president heads to the West Coast to raise money on the heels of the Hur Report, the big-money crowd is asking existential questions and finding familiar answers. Plus: the inside story of why the R.F.K. super PAC refunded $10 million to Bezos’ security guy.
bill ackman
Baratunde Thurston • February 12, 2024
Do or D.E.I.
An inside look at a revolution in retreat: when and where our collective attention faded, the corporations and well-meaning practitioners who dropped the ball, and how we can still change the culture.
elon musk
Eriq Gardner • February 6, 2024
Elon’s Legal Options & Byron’s Edge
Notes from the legal bar, in Wilmington and Washington, on Musk’s latest board entanglement and Byron Allen’s political play for Paramount.
Ken Griffin said he “supported” Nikki Haley, employing the past tense, which suggested that a donation had already been made.
Theodore Schleifer • January 31, 2024
Haley Donors in Mar-a-Lago Country
News from the Four Seasons Palm Beach summit: Ken Griffin’s cri de coeur, Marc Andreessen’s return to Washington, Tim Draper’s latest Haley check, and the Trump skeptics’ five stages of grief.
sam altman
Baratunde Thurston • January 15, 2024
A.I. & Its Times
On OpenAI eating the internet, the lawsuit heard ‘round the world, and a blueprint for detente with the media and entertainment business.
R.F.K. is certain to be a major storyline of the election, even if most reporters and pundits have yet to figure out if he’ll be a sideshow or a spoiler.
Theodore Schleifer • January 10, 2024
Camelot for the Anti-Vax Set
R.F.K. Jr., who has raised upwards of $30 million for his PAC, is hiring top Biden fundraisers and has billionaires clamoring for introductions. But how far will the novelty act go?
Since his conviction, Sam Bankman-Fried’s multi-hundred-million-dollar bet on Anthropic, the effective altruist-aligned A.I. company, has looked increasingly prescient.
Theodore Schleifer • January 3, 2024
S.B.F.’s $3 Billion Complexifier
Sam Bankman-Fried’s prescient investment in Anthropic—now worth multiple billions—might help make his defrauded FTX investors whole. How will this impact his parents? His narrative? Or even his sentencing?
When Sam Altman’s OpenAI launched ChatGPT, it quickly became the leading brand for artificial intelligence. Is that singular reign is about to come to an end?
Baratunde Thurston • January 1, 2024
An A.I. Explosion & D.E.I. Blowback
Ten predictions for the new year, from internet enjunkification to LLM lawsuits, boardroom de-wokening, a green energy boom, and more.
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum has stepped into the political spotlight with a massive bet on Nikki Haley—$10 million and counting.
Theodore Schleifer • December 20, 2023
Kingdom Koum
Jan Koum sold his business to Facebook for $19 billion with plans to retire at 45, play ultimate frisbee, and collect rare Porsches. Somehow, he became the next Sheldon Adelson instead.
Theodore Schleifer • December 13, 2023
The G.O.P. Donor Great Resignation
As the countdown to Iowa gets real, the Republican megadonor class is increasingly resistant to burn their cash and end up on Trump’s latest enemies list. Will the cavalry ever come?