Monica Hunter-Hart

Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Secretive Silicon Valley Investments Thanks to his relationships to tech billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, Epstein had access to a number of lucrative tech investments. But he walked away from several deals with major startups...

Jeffrey #Epstein had access to tech billionaires like Thiel and Musk. But he walked away from deals with major startups—including Spotify & SpaceX—that could have netted him hundreds of millions in total.

Deep dive from @iainmartin.bsky.social + me for @forbes.com:

www.forbes.com/sites/iainma...

New Details On How Jeffrey Epstein Got So Rich The latest Epstein files name two more billionaire clients: real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Rothschild heir by marriage Ariane de Rothschild.

3/3. Read more in our latest for @forbes.com:
www.forbes.com/sites/giacom...

2/3. Experts told us the sums they supposedly paid for estate planning services were unusually high.

Some of the contract language is also “suspicious,” one said. “It sounds like something nowadays you’d plug into AI and say, ‘Can you make up some BS for me?’”

1/3. @giacomotognini.bsky.social and I have uncovered two new billionaire clients of Epstein’s in the latest batch of files: real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Ariane de Rothschild, heir by marriage to the Rothschild banking fortune.

Epstein Files Reveal Ties To Billionaire Oil Heir Gordon Getty The latest Epstein files from the DOJ show that Gordon Getty’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was much closer than previously known.

The DOJ’s new Epstein files release shows that billionaire Gordon Getty both had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and allegedly brushed off his crimes: “well, we ALL have similar kinds of problems.”

Read more in my latest for @forbes.com:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Bill Gates Donated Another $2 Billion To Ex-Wife Melinda’s Foundations, Records Show Melinda French Gates has received at least $10.8 billion from Bill to bolster her philanthropy supporting women and families.

New nonprofit tax filings have been released showing that Bill Gates gave $2 billion more than previously known to his ex-wife Melinda's foundations, I report for @forbes.com:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Trump’s New FTC Pick Is A Billionaire Who Got Rich Manufacturing Car Mats In America The founder and CEO of WeatherTech is worth more than $4 billion, thanks to his made-in-America car mats. Now he has his sights set on trade regulation.

Trump's new FTC pick has advocated for "country of origin" disclosure rules for over a year, so we have a good idea of what he'd push for if confirmed.

David MacNeil would be the 12th known billionaire/billionaire's spouse in Trump's admin. My profile for @forbes.com:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

A Bombshell Epic Lawsuit Shows How Your Medical Data Could Be At Risk A lawsuit filed by electronic health record giant Epic could encourage reforms to a problematic system, where non-health companies can access patient records without their knowledge.

Your medical data is more vulnerable than you might think.

A new lawsuit from healthcare software giant Epic is shining a light on systemic issues with how patient records are transferred between providers.

My latest for @forbes.com:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Interesting twist: Melinda French-Gates gave about five times as much to the Gates Foundation last year as her ex Bill Gates did, reports @mhunterhart.bsky.social for @forbes.com based on newly released filings #philanthropy www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

This Billionaire Called Trump A Possible Psychopath, Epstein Release Shows Once America’s richest person, Gordon Getty has donated to anti-Trump PACs but he kept quiet. Now emails from Epstein documents show exactly how he feels.

Billionaire Gordon Getty has never spoken out about Trump publicly—but privately called him a possible psychopath, emails in the Epstein release show:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Gen Z's hottest new job: Nannying for billionaires Gen Z is fleeing the white-collar apocalypse and joining billionaires' private staff, taking jobs as nannies, personal assistants, and private chefs.

Great BI story on this quietly exploding industry.

"As the megarich have multiplied, so too have their mansions, planes, and yachts that need to be staffed."

For many, that's a "lucrative alternative to climbing an increasingly wobbly corporate ladder."

www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-billio...

Reddit’s Cofounder And CEO Steve Huffman Is Now A Billionaire Strong ad sales have propelled Huffman into the billionaire ranks. Now he’s charting a new course, aiming to become invaluable to AI companies.

3/3 In the wake of the company's most profitable quarter yet, and of cofounder and CEO Steve Huffman becoming a billionaire, I took a look at how Reddit’s business model has evolved over time and how the platform is alternately fighting and embracing the AI age:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

2/3 All of this is because authentic human content — Reddit’s specialty — is an increasingly hot commodity. AI companies need troves of it to train their models. And as bots and sponsored content crowd the internet, Reddit’s recommendations are seen as more reliable.

1/3 Reddit’s popularity has exploded in recent years.

Daily users have approximately doubled since the summer of 2023. It’s become one of the top sources cited by AI chatbots. And organic search to the platform has skyrocketed (you may have noticed more Reddit results when you Google these days).

@forbes.com mgt, led by CEO Sherry Phillips and CCO Randall Lane, have proposed 1.25% annual bumps for staff, not even keeping up with inflation--when many in the newsroom go YEARS without a raise. #journalismjobs @nyguild.bsky.social

2/2 Edwin Chen worries that AI models are too often optimized to send users down "delusional rabbit holes." He thinks artificial general intelligence is still 20 years away. And he hired a drummer with no tech experience as his 5th employee. My kinda guy. Give it a read!

AI Founder Edwin Chen Shunned VC. Now He’s Worth $18 Billion An alum of Google and Twitter, Edwin Chen built his data labeling company, Surge, in the shadows of the AI revolution. Now the 37-year-old wants to make his voice heard.

1/2 Amazing story from my colleague @pheebini.bsky.social about the CEO & founder of Surge AI, which is generating more revenue than any other AI company focused on data labeling (labeling = a crucial step in the process of training AI models).
www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...

Meet Jared Kushner’s New AI Startup, Brain Co Kushner teamed up with prolific solo investor Elad Gil and Luis Videgaray, the former Mexican foreign minister, to launch Brain Co., which helps businesses and governments apply AI to their operations...

Jared Kushner has cofounded an AI startup, Brain Co, with VC Elad Gil and Luis Videgaray, the former Mexican foreign minister, to help corporates and government deploy AI www.forbes.com/sites/giacom...

Telecom Billionaire Stages Latest Comeback With Controversial AT&T Sale Charles Ergen's wealth jumped after announcing plans to unload some of EchoStar's spectrum for $23 billion. The move killed any dreams of his nationwide 5G network.

Read more in my latest for @forbes.com:

www.forbes.com/sites/monica... (3/3)

The sale dooms the nationwide 5G mobile network he'd promised, and with it hopes of a more competitive cell service market anytime soon.

It also means the end of some cutting-edge software EchoStar had been developing. (2/3)

It's a great week for telecom billionaire Charles Ergen.

His company EchoStar announced it would sell spectrum to AT&T. Its stock soared and his wealth more than doubled.

But the consequences for consumers are more complicated. (1/3)

Telecom Billionaire Stages Latest Comeback With Controversial AT&T Sale Charles Ergen's wealth jumped after announcing plans to unload some of EchoStar's spectrum for $23 billion. The move killed any dreams of his nationwide 5G network.

Read more in my latest for @Forbes:

www.forbes.com/sites/monica... (3/3)

The sale dooms the nationwide 5G mobile network he'd promised, and with it hopes of a more competitive cell service market anytime soon.

It also means the end of some cutting-edge software EchoStar had been developing. (2/3)

‘Smoke And Mirrors’: How This Entrepreneur Exaggerated And Self-Promoted Her Way Into Turmoil Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane Von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled. A case study in how hubris is bad for business.

Here's the story, out today from me and my incredible former colleague @jemimamcevoy.bsky.social — her last story with @forbes.com:

www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Pierson—who portrays herself as an advocate for women and for mental health—berates her mostly-female staff, often sending employees to tears.

“There was this culture of Danny having two personalities,” says an ex-worker. “One was online, and with us she was different.” (3/4)

But not all is as it seems.

A Forbes investigation reveals that Pierson has been exaggerating revenue, subscriber, and other numbers for years. Her masterful self-promotion and hyperbole have helped her attract ever more investors, partners, and elite friends. (2/4)

Daniella Pierson appears to embody success. She’s started four companies, one with Selena Gomez. She shows off a luxurious lifestyle and celebrity friend network on social media. Forbes even called Pierson one of the richest women of color in the U.S. in 2022, pegging her net worth at $220m. (1/4)

How The Blake Lively Saga Led A Billionaire To Shut Down His Foundation Steve Sarowitz built a charitable foundation around the values of Baháʼí. The organization funded hundreds of nonprofits until it suddenly announced its closure in May.

3/ In my latest story for @forbes.com, I dig into the real reasons for Wayfarer’s closure — and the impact it’s having on the foundation’s nonprofit grantees:
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

2/ At the time, many outlets reported that the shutdown was motivated by financial difficulties. But my reporting indicates otherwise.

1/ Billionaire Steve Sarowitz’s Wayfarer Foundation had been financing 200+ nonprofits with around $100 million until its sudden shutdown in early May.

The closure occurred amid his high-profile legal battle with actress Blake Lively, who’s sued him and his partner Justin Baldoni.