Business

The Great AI Grift

The Great AI Grift The Great AI Grift

Tech leaders want you to believe that AI is the key to a new golden age. The reality looks more like a bold, government-backed heist.

Apr 8, 2026 / Feature / Susannah Glickman, Amba Kak, and Sarah Myers West

A ChatGPT assistant display on a laptop.

The AI Sector’s Crass Bid for Media Domination The AI Sector’s Crass Bid for Media Domination

When you’re a galactically rich tech mogul upset with adverse press coverage, you just buy yourself more flattering media outlets.

Apr 6, 2026 / David Futrelle

The Anti-Intellectualism of the Silicon Valley Elite

The Anti-Intellectualism of the Silicon Valley Elite The Anti-Intellectualism of the Silicon Valley Elite

How the self-styled know-it-alls atop the knowledge economy want to dismantle the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake

Apr 1, 2026 / Elizabeth Spiers

A satellite image of flooded fields and buildings near Waialua, on Oahu's north shore.

Hawaii’s Storm Damage Is Deeply Rooted in the State’s Plantation Past Hawaii’s Storm Damage Is Deeply Rooted in the State’s Plantation Past

The latest wave of storm devastation closely tracks the regional neglect of infrastructure instituted by the state’s first modern agricultural barons

Mar 26, 2026 / Matthew Vickers

Marc Andreessen holding forth at TechCrunch Disrupt 2016 in San Francisco.

Marc Andreessen’s Dangerously Unexamined Life Marc Andreessen’s Dangerously Unexamined Life

The tech mogul has declared himself an enemy of introspection, and that conveniently erases considerations of conscience from his amoral investment empire.

Mar 23, 2026 / David Futrelle

Sasan Goodarzi, elated during the opening of the Intuit Dome on August 15, 2024, in Inglewood, California.

Have You Paid Your “Intuit Tax”? Have You Paid Your “Intuit Tax”?

Tax prep oligarch Sasan Goodarzi blocks the “public option” for tax filers.

Mar 23, 2026 / Chuck Collins

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors tugs at his jersey in a game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 11, 2026, in San Francisco, California.

Why Is Steph Curry Investing in Israeli Security Tech? Why Is Steph Curry Investing in Israeli Security Tech?

The greatest shooter ever is part of a financial ecosystem in which Silicon Valley capital pours into Israeli technology companies with ties to the IDF.

Mar 13, 2026 / Lee Escobedo

The Pork Oligarchs of Iowa Have Local Politicians in Their Pockets

The Pork Oligarchs of Iowa Have Local Politicians in Their Pockets The Pork Oligarchs of Iowa Have Local Politicians in Their Pockets

Jeff and Deb Hansen spend hundreds of thousands to keep the state friendly to their business.

Mar 12, 2026 / Column / Chuck Collins

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison addresses the 2014 New Economy Summit in Tokyo.

How Larry Ellison’s Acquisition Binge Began in Hawaii How Larry Ellison’s Acquisition Binge Began in Hawaii

In 2012, the Oracle CEO bought most of the island of Lānaʻi. What happened next doesn’t bode well for his new empire of media properties.

Mar 12, 2026 / Matthew Vickers

Taking Aim at Overpaid CEOs

Taking Aim at Overpaid CEOs Taking Aim at Overpaid CEOs

Landmark San Francisco and Los Angeles ballot initiatives aim to hike taxes on corporations with huge gaps between CEO and worker pay.

Mar 11, 2026 / Feature / Sarah Anderson

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