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SILICON VLLEY

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks to guests during a campaign rally at the Thunderdome on December 02, 2023, in Newton, Iowa.
Theodore Schleifer • December 5, 2023

The DeSantis Megadonor Panic Room

As his operation falls further into disarray, everyone is pissed at everyone else, and the money guys behind the scenes are having to make tough calls. Plus: a scoop on WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum’s $5 million investment in Haley.
Baratunde Thurston • December 3, 2023
Sam Altman’s Pandora’s Box
Sam Altman’s OpenAI is a strange beast, with a Russian nesting doll structure containing a for-profit company inside a nonprofit organization.
Reflections on the anniversary of ChatGPT: the Q star breakthrough, Altman’s ouster, A.I. red lines, and why capital is stronger than containment.
Theodore Schleifer • November 28, 2023
The G.O.P. Megadonors Come to Jesus
Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley stands on stage during a break in the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate on November 8, 2023, in Miami, Florida.
Fear is growing within the Republican billionaire class that the party’s moneymen have lost any ability to elevate an alternative to Trump. Why would things be different for Nikki Haley?
Former OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman speaks during an event at Keio University on June 12, 2023, in Tokyo.
Theodore Schleifer • November 21, 2023
Altman Alternative Facts
What Sam said at Stanford when confronted about ChatGPT. What people think of Sam’s effective-altruist board member Helen Toner. And what the hell happened at OpenAI.
Daniel Lurie has become something of a boundary-crossing, even contradictory, figure—between the haves and have-nots, the tech workers and the city’s true locals.
Theodore Schleifer • November 14, 2023
The Count of San Francisco
Daniel Lurie, the charming Levi Strauss heir running to be San Francisco’s next mayor, is ideally positioned to be the outrage vessel for the Pac Heights crowd. So why is Silicon Valley skeptical of his campaign?
Former eBay C.E.O. Devin Wenig, whose exorbitant salary and profligate spending were highlighted in reporting by David and Ina Steiner.
Eriq Gardner • November 13, 2023
A Spy in Silicon Valley
Jim Baugh, the former C.I.A. operative convicted of orchestrating a bizarre scheme to silence two eBay critics, blames the company for its toxic culture—and says he was still working as a spy. Now, the Justice Department is claiming that Baugh’s explosive allegations are classified.