The Information

Art by Clark Miller; Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk via Getty.

Power and Influence

The Tech Industrial Complex Greets Trump 2.0 With Galas and Sky-High Hopes

By Nick Wingfield, Steve LeVine, Yueqi Yang and Julia Black · Jan 18, 2025 5:00am PST · 3 comments

On Thursday, about 200 founders and investors tucked into seared sea bass and key lime pie at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s Palm Beach private club. The mood was celebratory, and the attendees talked about their hopes for a deregulatory boom in the nuclear and space industries. Each attendee received a black baseball cap emblazoned with the... On Thursday, about 200 founders and investors tucked into seared sea bass and key lime pie at...

Art by Clark Miller; Ramaswamy via Getty.

Power and Influence

Inside the DOGE Recruitment Drive

By Julia Black · Jan 11, 2025 6:00am PST · 23 comments

For decades, the path toward federal government employment has involved a long and winding journey for full-timers and contractors alike. The Department of Government Efficiency, the pseudo-governmental entity run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, is doing things differently. Recruitment to join DOGE, as the Musk-Ramaswamy group has styled... For decades, the path toward federal government employment has involved a long and winding...

Art by Clark Miller; Lurie image via Getty.

Power and Influence

New SF Mayor Daniel Lurie: We Need Sam Altman’s Help

By Josh Koehn · Nov 7, 2024 4:46pm PST · 4 comments

A little more than a year ago, few people in San Francisco could have foreseen Daniel Lurie running away with the mayor’s race: Lurie, a Levi Strauss heir who founded an anti-poverty nonprofit, Tipping Point, had never held elected office. But his outsider status and moderate policy proposals on public safety, housing and... A little more than a year ago, few people in San Francisco could have foreseen Daniel Lurie...

Mark Farrell. Art by Clark Miller; Farrell image via Getty

San Francisco’s Would-Be Mayor Has a Tangled History in Venture

By Josh Koehn · Oct 5, 2024 5:00am PDT · 4 comments

Mark Farrell. Art by Clark Miller; Farrell image via Getty

Power and Influence

San Francisco’s Would-Be Mayor Has a Tangled History in Venture

By Josh Koehn · Oct 5, 2024 5:00am PDT · 4 comments

In 2015, many San Franciscans were furious with startups like Airbnb as they depleted the city’s housing supply and pushed rent in the city to some of the highest levels in the country. Mark Farrell—a venture capitalist then serving as a city supervisor and now a leading candidate in San Francisco’s current mayoral... In 2015, many San Franciscans were furious with startups like Airbnb as they depleted the...

Art by Clark Miller.

Power and Influence

The Silicon Valley Godfather Who Helped Push Out the President

By Josh Koehn · Sep 20, 2024 9:00am PDT · 5 comments

As early morning darkness still covered the Mediterranean, Ron Conway’s phone started to blow up. The billionaire venture capitalist was asleep on a yacht off the Italian coast. But six time zones away in Atlanta, President Joe Biden was self-immolating in a live TV debate against former President Donald Trump. When Conway awoke, he wasted... As early morning darkness still covered the Mediterranean, Ron Conway’s phone started to...

Art by Clark Miller (photos: Getty Images)

Power and Influence

‘A Unicorn Moment’: Inside Kamala Harris’ Reenergized Web of Silicon Valley Investors, Billionaires and Power Brokers

By Abram Brown, Julia Black, Natasha Mascarenhas and Theo Wayt · Jul 25, 2024 11:39am PDT · 9 comments

Democrats with power and money in California are in a Kamala mood. Reid Hoffman, billionaire venture capitalist, has already shifted his attention as a top Joe Biden fundraiser to bringing in cash for the person who has replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate: Vice President Kamala Harris, a Golden State native who was previously... Democrats with power and money in California are in a Kamala mood. Reid Hoffman, billionaire...