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Art by Clark Miller

Bari Weiss Brings the Culture Wars Home

By Annie Goldsmith · Jan. 27, 2023 12:00 PM PST · 5 comments

“I’m just putting my face on!” yelled the voice around the corner. Bari Weiss—former New York Times Op-Ed staff editor and writer and current founder of the controversy-courting new media company The Free Press—came streaming into her living room, hair wet, dressed all in black. She greeted me and two of her... “I’m just putting my face on!” yelled the voice around the corner. Bari...

Art by Clark Miller

Tech’s ‘Doom-and-Gloom Guy’ Builds a Database for Happier Days

By Arielle Pardes · Jan. 13, 2023 11:00 AM PST · 5 comments

In February 2020, Roger Lee found himself out of a job. He had stepped down as CEO of Human Interest, the 401K startup he co-founded in 2015, to spend time with his newborn daughter on an extended paternity leave. Within a few months, he found he was not alone: Thousands of other tech workers were also suddenly unemployed, as the pandemic... In February 2020, Roger Lee found himself out of a job. He had stepped down as CEO of Human...

A Billionaire Couple Goes for Broke: How John and Laura Arnold Plan to Give It All Away

By Abram Brown · Dec. 2, 2022 1:00 PM PST · 9 comments

On Election Day, John and Laura Arnold found themselves deep in the lion’s den: a few blocks from the White House, working from the new Washington D.C. offices of their foundation, Arnold Ventures. The mood in town? “Jittery,” Laura said. Republicans were hoping for a big sweep of Congress; Democrats were trying to... On Election Day, John and Laura Arnold found themselves deep in the lion’s den: a...

Art by Clark Miller

Turning Water Into $700 Million: A Day in the Desert With Liquid Death Founder Mike Cessario

By Arielle Pardes · Nov. 19, 2022 7:00 AM PST · 18 comments

Art by Clark Miller

startups culture

Turning Water Into $700 Million: A Day in the Desert With Liquid Death Founder Mike Cessario

By Arielle Pardes · Nov. 19, 2022 7:00 AM PST · 18 comments

Mike Cessario, co-founder and CEO of canned water company Liquid Death, arrived in Palm Desert, Calif., sporting a Slayer hoodie, designer stubble and the effortless chill of a movie star. He had driven from his home in Los Angeles to the Coachella Valley to give a talk about the meteoric rise of his brand at Summit Series—a 1,400-person... Mike Cessario, co-founder and CEO of canned water company Liquid Death, arrived in Palm Desert,...

Animation by Clark Miller.

Matt Levine Explains the World: A ‘Weird’ Walk in the Park With the Star Bloomberg Columnist

By Abram Brown · Nov. 11, 2022 11:00 AM PST · 17 comments

A few months ago, Matt Levine, Bloomberg’s ascendant tech and finance columnist, schlepped from his home in Westchester County into New York with his wife and three small children to have weekend brunch on the Upper West Side, joined by his parents, his aunt and his uncle. The whole extended Levine clan was enjoying their meal when a woman... A few months ago, Matt Levine, Bloomberg’s ascendant tech and finance columnist, schlepped from...

Katie Haun. Photo by Bloomberg

‘I’m Not Looking Where the Puck Is Right Now’: Katie Haun Picked an Awkward Time to Launch a Crypto Fund

By Adam Lashinsky · Oct. 7, 2022 1:00 PM PDT · 5 comments

Katie Haun has set up the offices of her new venture capital shop surprisingly close to her old one. Always security conscious from her time battling cybercriminals for the U.S. Department of Justice, Haun prefers to keep the precise location of her exceedingly well-funded Haun Ventures secret. Suffice it to say a skilled golfer at the nearby... Katie Haun has set up the offices of her new venture capital shop surprisingly close to her old...

Ana Kirova courtesy of Feeld.

‘Monogamy Should Not Be the Default’: What a Dating App CEO and Her Tech Clientele Have in Common

By Annie Goldsmith · Sept. 23, 2022 11:00 AM PDT · 6 comments

Ana Kirova is a frequent user of her own dating app—but not without complications. As CEO of Feeld, which describes itself as “a dating app for exploration, curiosity and pleasure,” Kirova never knows when to divulge her role at the company to potential matches. “Should I say it outright?” she asked rhetorically while sipping coffee earlier this... Ana Kirova is a frequent user of her own dating app—but not without complications. As CEO of...

Art by Clark Miller.

‘I Don’t Think There’s Anything Foolish About Blitzscaling’: Reid Hoffman Regrets Nothing—Except Maybe Those SPACs

By Adam Lashinsky · Aug. 19, 2022 12:00 PM PDT · 7 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

venture capital

‘I Don’t Think There’s Anything Foolish About Blitzscaling’: Reid Hoffman Regrets Nothing—Except Maybe Those SPACs

By Adam Lashinsky · Aug. 19, 2022 12:00 PM PDT · 7 comments

It's check-writing season for Reid Hoffman, and not just for his two venture capital firms, two special purpose acquisition corporations, two podcasts, six startup boards or any of the other extracurricular activities that keep him stupendously busy. (I counted one real job—at Greylock Partners—and 15 side hustles, which he confirmed.) Hoffman,... It's check-writing season for Reid Hoffman, and not just for his two venture capital firms, two...

Lulu Cheng Meservey. Art by Clark Miller.

‘The Truth Had Been Distorted Beyond Recognition’: Lulu Cheng Meservey on Joining the Activision Board and Defending Free Speech on Substack

By Adam Lashinsky · July 15, 2022 1:00 PM PDT · 9 comments

Lulu Cheng Meservey isn’t your typical corporate flack. The Washington, D.C.-based head of communications for Substack, a digital newsletter platform, Meservey is brash and outspoken online—far more so than the company’s founders. Her pre-PR background included a short stint on Wall Street and working for one of former President Bill Clinton’s... Lulu Cheng Meservey isn’t your typical corporate flack. The Washington, D.C.-based head of...

Photo Bloomberg. Art by Clark Miller.

‘Our Aspiration Is to Be the First $100 Billion Cybersecurity Company’: Nikesh Arora on Making Palo Alto Networks a Juggernaut

By Adam Lashinsky · July 1, 2022 2:00 PM PDT · 4 comments

When Nikesh Arora and I met in mid-June near the windswept entrance of his Palo Alto Networks offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., he was feeling a lot less Covid cautious than I was. That’s because the 54-year-old chief executive had gotten infected the previous month at the World Economic Forum. “My big takeaway from Davos was Covid,” he quipped,... When Nikesh Arora and I met in mid-June near the windswept entrance of his Palo Alto Networks...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

‘I choose to be intentionally paranoid’: Adam Selipsky Navigates AWS Into a Cloudy Future

By Adam Lashinsky · June 18, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 2 comments

Of the five big tech companies that dominate their respective corners of the industry, Amazon is the only one whose headquarters sprout from the soil of a bustling metropolis. There’s no suburban sprawl in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, where a cluster of Amazon office towers is located, along with the company’s distinctive, triple-bulbed... Of the five big tech companies that dominate their respective corners of the industry, Amazon is...

Photo Bloomberg. Art by Clark Miller.

‘The Worst-Case Scenario Is That I Look Like an Idiot’: Aaron Levie Still Refuses to Swallow the Crypto Red Pill

By Adam Lashinsky · May 27, 2022 1:00 PM PDT · 17 comments

Photo Bloomberg. Art by Clark Miller.

‘The Worst-Case Scenario Is That I Look Like an Idiot’: Aaron Levie Still Refuses to Swallow the Crypto Red Pill

By Adam Lashinsky · May 27, 2022 1:00 PM PDT · 17 comments

“I think I’m just a very boring realist,” said Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, over a 44-minute Zoom call last Monday. He was talking about the yearslong crypto craze, which may have finally sobered up amid the market dives and token implosions of the last several weeks. Levie is one of the few leaders in tech who has consistently called BS on the... “I think I’m just a very boring realist,” said Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, over a 44-minute Zoom...

Photo by Bloomberg. Art by Clark Miller.

‘I Don’t Know How Steve Jobs Would Survive Today in This Environment’: Tony Fadell Has Opinions to Share and Scores to Settle

By Adam Lashinsky · May 13, 2022 1:00 PM PDT · 18 comments

Within Silicon Valley power circles, being “on the beach” is a euphemism that covers a continuum of unemployment, from “retired rich” to “brief pause between high-powered jobs.” Tony Fadell has been metaphorically on the beach for six years, ever since leaving Google, which paid $3.2 billion for Nest Labs, the maker of smart thermostats he... Within Silicon Valley power circles, being “on the beach” is a euphemism that covers a continuum...

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