An American venture capitalist, technology entrepreneur, co-founder & executive chairman of Anduril Industries, partner at Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and an early employee at Palantir Technologies.
Born
•November 1983
Jew
•
Zionized
•Possibly.
•Devout christian (unknown variant)
•Doomsday fanatic.
Education
•Georgetown University
Occupation
•Chairman of Anduril Industries
Known for
•Co-founder of Anduril Industries
•Co-founder of Sol
•Interned in the office of Congressman Rob Portman
•Interned at the Embassy of Afghanistan in D.C.
•Worked as a computational linguist within the US Intelligence Community
•Joined Palantir (2008)
•Partner at Founders Fund
•Served on Trump’s 1st transition team, leading the DoD
Founder & Lead of Cornell University automous vehicle research program, has served on federal advisory councils, is a board member of several govt. tech companies, CEO & co-founder of Anduril Industries, former Palantir Director of Engineering & early hire who built Foundry.
Former principal at Mithril Capital Management LLC, served as advisor & board observer of Classy.org, co-founder of Cormell University AVR program, former Senior Consultant for DoD at Booz Allen Hamilton, early hire & forward development engineer at Palantir Technologies, co-founder & COO of Anduril Industries.
Under Matt Grimm's leadership, Anduril Industries has rapidly grown and established itself as a key player in the defense sector, achieving significant milestones in technology development and integration.
During his tenure at Anduril Industries, the organization has experienced substantial growth, with a reported 53% increase in headcount over a twelve-month period, demonstrating its expanding influence in the industry.
Prior to co-founding Anduril Industries, Matt Grimm served as an Advisor and Board Observer at Classy.org from May 2015 to August 2016, where insight was provided on strategic initiatives.
From December 2014 to August 2016, Matt held the position of Principal at Mithril Capital Management LLC, contributing to venture capital investments in technology startups.
Before these roles, Matt was a Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir Technologies from May 2008 to December 2014, where technical solutions were tailored for complex data analysis challenges.
Matt's career also includes experience as a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton from May 2007 to May 2008, where consulting services were provided to various clients in strategic and operational improvement.
Anduril Industries, under Matt Grimm's guidance, champions the integration of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and other technological innovations to enhance national security.
Utilizing a significant understanding of both technology and operations, Matt Grimm has positioned Anduril Industries to effectively respond to evolving defense needs and challenges.
Chen served in U.S. Army National Guard, 1st Battalion (Airborne),143rd Infantry Regiment, was an early hire at Oculus VR, worked on augmented reality technologies at Epsom, and is a co-Founder of Anduril Industries.
ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health), is a relatively new agency within the HSS (Department of Health and Human Services), which will invest in break-through technologies, broadly applicable platforms, capabilities, resources & solutions to transform medicine & health, and has partnered up with Palantir Technologies/Palantir Mafia.
Formed
•March 15, 2022
Jurisdiction
•Federal government of the U.S.
Agency executives
•Alastair Thompson Acting Director of data innovation
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has entered into a significant $19 million contract with Palantir Technologies to utilize its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) and Foundry software.
This partnership aims to bolster ARPA-H's data infrastructure and improve the tracking of its research programs over the next two years.
Palantir's tools will enable ARPA-H to efficiently collect, synthesize, analyze, and make informed decisions based on diverse data sources.
Alastair Thomson, the acting director of data innovation at ARPA-H, emphasized the agency's commitment to being data-driven, which is crucial for designing and monitoring its programs effectively.
The goal is to identify revolutionary advancements in health research, which necessitates a deep understanding of the current state of various fields.
As a relatively new agency established in 2022, ARPA-H is still developing its infrastructure.
The agency's initiatives include enhancing hospital defenses against cyber threats, innovating cancer treatment technologies, and creating a mobile health program using electric vehicles.
Thomson noted that Palantir's solutions are tailored to meet the unique needs of ARPA-H, particularly as the agency adopts a cloud-only infrastructure.
Palantir's software is designed to integrate existing data sources and provide a comprehensive view of operations, which is essential for effective research and development investments.
The AIP allows organizations to leverage large language models on their existing data, enhancing decision-making processes.
Thomson highlighted the importance of monitoring program metrics and being agile in decision-making, particularly when it comes to pivoting strategies that are not yielding results.
Moreover, ARPA-H intends to make some insights from these platforms publicly available, ensuring transparency and accountability in its operations.
The agency also plans to utilize AI to analyze scientific literature related to its programs, providing a broader perspective on relevant research.
In addition to software deployment, Palantir will offer training and data analytics support to ARPA-H staff, fostering a culture of data literacy within the agency.
Thomson stressed that understanding data is vital for becoming a learning organization, making training a key component of this initiative.
This partnership with Palantir represents a strategic move for ARPA-H to enhance its operational capabilities and drive innovative health research through data-driven decision-making.
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is an R&D agency of the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) directed towards developing advanced technologies for military weaponization.
Formed
•February 7, 1958 (as ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency)
Jurisdiction
•Federal government of the United States
Headquarters
•675 North Randolph St., Ballston, Virginia, U.S. (38.8788°N 77.1088°W)
•ARPA established, following the launch of Sputnik, President Eisenhower authorized the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to expand technological frontiers beyond military needs.
•Initial funding was set at $520 million, with Roy Johnson appointed as the first director.
1959
•ARPA began to concentrate on high-risk, high-gain research projects;
•The agency played a role in the Transit satellite program, a precursor to GPS, developed in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
1960
•All civilian space programs were transferred to NASA.
•Allowing ARPA to focus on defense-related projects such as Project Defender (ballistic missile defense) and Project Vela (nuclear test detection).
1961
•Brigadier General Austin W. Betts resigned.
•Jack Ruina took over as director. Ruina, the first scientist to lead ARPA, increased the budget to $250 million and hired J.C.R. Licklider, who would oversee the Information Processing Techniques Office.
1962-1965
•ARPA expanded its research into computer processing, behavioral sciences, and materials sciences, laying the groundwork for future technologies in surveillance and directed energy.
1972
•ARPA renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to reflect its broader mission, emphasizing direct energy programs and information processing technologies.
1973
•Mansfield Amendment limited appropriations for defense research to projects with direct military applications.
1976
•DARPA begins focusing on Tactical Technologies, prioritizing projects related to air, land, sea, and space technologies, including advancements in tactical armor and anti-armor programs.
1977
•DARPA invested in infrared sensing technologies for space-based surveillance, enhancing the military's ability to monitor and respond to threats from a distance.
1978
•High-Energy Laser Technology: Research into high-energy laser technology for missile defense systems gained momentum, laying the groundwork for future defense initiatives.
1979
•DARPA initiated projects focused on developing advanced cruise missiles, which would become a significant component of U.S. military strategy.
1980
•Many successful DARPA projects were transitioned to military services, including technologies for automatic target recognition and space-based sensing, which were foundational for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO), which later evolved into the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
1981
•Engineers Robert McGhee and Kenneth Waldron began developing the ASV, a six-legged vehicle designed for cargo transport over difficult terrains.
1982-2003
•DARPA concentrated on advanced information processing and aircraft-related programs, including the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) and the Strategic Computing Program, which aimed to enhance processing and networking technologies.
2004
•DARPA terminated the LifeLog Project, which aimed to compile comprehensive data on individual activities, raising concerns about privacy and surveillance.
2009
•DARPA broke ground on a new facility in Arlington County, Virginia, enhancing its operational capabilities near The Pentagon.
2011
•DARPA hosted this symposium to encourage public discourse on interstellar travel, showcasing its commitment to long-term space exploration.
2014-2016
•DARPA initiated the first machine-to-machine computer security competition, bringing together experts to identify and fix security vulnerabilities automatically, promoting innovation in cybersecurity.
2016
•NASA and DARPA announced plans to develop new X-planes, aiming to create a series of experimental aircraft over the next decade.
2018
•DARPA showcased new technologies from the GXV-T program, aimed at developing a lightly armored combat vehicle capable of withstanding modern anti-tank weapons.
2020
•DARPA and the US Air Force announced readiness for free-flight tests of the HAWC, a significant advancement in hypersonic weaponry.
•Victoria Coleman became director of DARPA.
2020-present
•DARPA has increasingly outsourced core functions to private corporations, including physical security, program security, and IT services, indicating a shift towards privatization in defense operations.
Founding and Early Development
•Palantir was founded in 2003 by a group that included former PayPal employees, some of whom had connections to DARPA through their work in technology and security.
•Palantir's focus on data integration and analysis also aligns with DARPA's emphasis on advanced information processing.
Government Contracts
•Palantir has secured contracts with various government agencies, including the DoD, which has historical ties to DARPA.
•This relationship suggests a continuity of interest in leveraging advanced data analytics for national security purposes.
Technological Synergy
•Both DARPA & Palantir share a commitment to innovation in technology.
•DARPA's research in artificial intelligence and data processing has likely influenced Palantir's development of its software platforms, which are designed to analyze large datasets for intelligence and defense applications.
Collaborative Projects
•While specific projects directly linking DARPA and Palantir may not be publicly documented, the overlapping interests in national security and advanced technology suggest potential collaborations or shared objectives in various defense-related initiatives.
Accenture Federal Services & Palantir Technologies will initially focus on the co-development of three key offerings:
Enterprise-to-Edge Data Fusion
•Using Palantir’s ontology and AI platform to accelerate modernization of enterprise business systems to push critical data from the enterprise to the tactical edge.
Predictive Supply Chain Orchestration
•Combining Accenture’s federal and commercial logistics expertise with Palantir AI to help government agencies deliver optimized, autonomous and resilient supply chain workflows.
Operationalize Financial Intelligence
•Providing a 360-degree view of agency budgets and expenditures across numerous systems to enhance fiscal transparency and accountability.
A financial advisory and global consulting firm which was involved in the Bernie Madoff scandal and has advised on some of the largest Chapter 11 reorganizations including General Motors Co., Kmart & Enron Corp, and is also a strategic partner of Palantir Technologies/Palantir Mafia.
For over two decades, AAXIS has helped top manufacturers, distributors, retailers and telcos meet growing digital commerce & automation needs, and is now partnered with Palantir Technologies/Palantir Mafia to execute strategies and implement technologies leveraging data and AI.
An American business executive, one of Zuckerberg's original first fifteen engineers hired at Facebook/Facebook Mafia, chief technology officer at Meta/Meta Mafia, and one of the recently commissioned U.S. Army Reserve Detachment 201 lieutenant colonels.
Born
•January 7, 1982, Santa Clara County, California, U.S.
Jew
•
Zionized
•
Education
•Harvard University (BS)
Occupation
•Business executive
Known for
•Vice Chair on board of directors for Peninsula Open Space Trust
•2019 keynote speaker for the Burlingame/SFO Chamber of Commerce
•Alumni of nonprofit 4-H & received the Distinguished Alumni Medallion award
•Worked as a developer on Microsoft Visio
•Met Zuckerberg at Harvard (2004)
•Worked as an engineer at Facebook (since 2006)
•Wrote the memo circulated internally within Facebook titled "The Ugly", arguing that connecting people was a paramount goal for Facebook (2016)
•Vice-president of Facebook augmented reality & virtual reality (2017)
Co-founder & former developer of Diem & Novi and current VP of Facebook/Meta Calibra, former Planet Labs President of product & business, served as Twitter VP of product, Chief Product Officer (CPO) at OpenAI, member of Cisco board of directors and one of the recently commissioned U.S. Army Reserve Detachment 201 lieutenant colonels.
Jew
•
Zionized
•
Education
•Harvard (BS)
•Stanford (M)
Occupation
•CPO at OpenAI
•USAR lieutenant colonel
Known for
•Co-founder & developer of Diem & Novi (formerly Libra) cryptocurrencies for Facebook/Meta
•Vice President of Product for Facebook's blockchain initiative, Calibra.
•Former President of Product & Business at Planet Labs
•Served as VP of Product at Instagram
•Former SVP of Product at Twitter
•Involved with The Nature Conservancy
•Appointed to board of directors for Cisco (May 12, 2025)
•Operator in Residence at Scribble Ventures
•Serves on the board of Strava
•Serves on the board of Black Product Managers Network
•Previously worked for Cooliris
•Previously worked for Tropos Networks
•Previously worked for Microsoft Research
•Previously worked for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Former PayPal/PayPal Mafia, Palantir/Palantir Mafia & OpenAI engineer and one of the recently commissioned U.S. Army Reserve Detachment 201 lieutenant colonels.
Education
•Stanford University (BA)
Jew
•
Zionized
•
Occupation
•Advisor for Thinking Machines
•USAR Detachment 201 lieutenant colonel
Known for
•Worked as an intern at PayPal
•Worked as an engineer at Palantir
•Worked at OpenAI
1997-2001
•Bob McGrew attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.
2001-2002
•After graduating, Bob joined PayPal as a cryptography engineer.
2003-2016
•Bob joined Palantir Technologies as one of the early employees, becoming the second engineer at the company. His work focused on developing software solutions for the intelligence community, which laid the groundwork for Palantir's future success. Over the next decade, Bob played a crucial role in building and shipping Palantir's first products. His leadership in engineering helped the company grow and adapt to the needs of its clients, particularly in defense and intelligence sectors.
2016
•Bob joined OpenAI part-time, where he was involved in groundbreaking research projects. One of the notable projects during this time was developing AI systems capable of playing complex games like Dota 2, which showcased the potential of AI in strategic thinking and problem-solving.
2017
•Bob transitioned to a full-time role at OpenAI, where he quickly made an impact. His contributions were instrumental in the development of various AI models, including the GPT series.
2018
•Bob was promoted to Vice President of Research, where he oversaw significant advancements in AI, including the development of GPT-3 and GPT-4. His leadership was pivotal in addressing challenges related to biases in AI responses and exploring the future of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).
2018-2023
•Bob served as Chief Research Officer at OpenAI, where he continued to lead innovative projects. His work included overseeing the DALL-E project and addressing the complexities of AI integration into everyday applications.
2023
•Bob announced his departure from OpenAI, reflecting on his eight-year journey with the organization. He expressed gratitude for the experiences and the evolution of OpenAI from a small nonprofit to a leading research and deployment company in AI.
2024
•Following his exit from OpenAI, Bob joined the U.S. Army's Detachment 201 as a Lieutenant Colonel, where he was tasked with leading innovation initiatives within the military. This role allowed him to leverage his tech expertise to address complex challenges in defense.
2025
•As of now, Bob is actively involved in various AI startups, contributing to the burgeoning landscape of AI innovation. His experience at OpenAI has positioned him as a key figure in the industry, reminiscent of the "PayPal mafia" phenomenon, where former employees leverage their expertise to create competitive ventures.
Nigerian-American computer & electrical engineer, author, CTO & Executive VP of Palantir/Palantir Mafia and one of the recently commissioned U.S. Army Reserve Detachment 201 lieutenant colonels.
Education
•Cornell University (BA)
•Stanford University (MS)
Occupation
•Chief Technology Officer & Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies
•Chairman of Gingko Bioworks
Known for
•Joining Palantir as employee #13
•Routinely leads strategic sessions with elected officials
•Has appeared before the House Select Committee and the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity
•Frequent guest on CNBC
•His work has been featured in numerous publications, including American Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post
•Launched the First Breakfast Initiative (2023)
•Appeared on podcast This Week in Startups and The Arsenal of Democracy
•Named as one of The Top 7 people in Defense Tech (2024)
An information technology company, strategically partnered with Palantir/Palantir Mafia, focusing on leveraging AI and advanced technologies to optimize business operations.
Founded
•May 7, 2012, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (informally Booz Allen) is the parent of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., an American company specializing in intelligence, AI, digital transformation and strategically partnered with Palantir/Palantir Mafia, that provides consulting, analysis, and engineering services to public and private sector organizations and nonprofits.
Gawker.com was an American blog, flagship for Gawker Media, founded by Nick Denton & Elizabeth Spiers, focused on celebrity & media industry gossip, alt views & critiques of mainstream media outlets and New York-centric stories generally sourced from anonymous whistleblowers, readers, other blogs and original reporting, which ultimately Peter Theil, akin to Morgoth wielding Grond, crushed with his "philanthropic" Hulk Hogan - Bollea v. Gawker - hammer.
Type of site
•Commercial blog
Founded
•2002 (original Gawker Media site)
•2021 (relaunched BDG site)
Founder
•Nick Denton (original Gawker Media site)
•Elizabeth Spiers (original Gawker Media site)
Dissolved
•August 22, 2016 (original Gawker Media site)
•February 1, 2023 (relaunched BDG site)
Headquartered
•New York City
Owner
•Gawker Media (2002–2016)
•Bustle Digital Group (2018–2023)
•Meng Ru Kuok (2023–present)
Editors
•Elizabeth Spiers (2003-2003)
•Choire Sicha (2003-2004)
•Jessica Coen (2004-2006)
•Jesse Oxfeld (2005-2006)
•Alex Balk (2006-2007)
•Emily Gould (2006-2007)
•Choire Sicha (2007-2007)
•Gabriel Snyder (2009-2010)
•Remy Stern (2010-2011)
•A. J. Daulerio (2012-2013)
•John Cook (2013-2014)
•Max Read (2014-2015)
•Leah Beckmann (2015-2015)
•Alex Pareene (2015-2016)
•Dan Peres (2019-2019)
•Leah Finnegan (2021-2023)
Known for
•Revealing Peter Theil's homosexuality.
•Revealing Terry Bollea (aka: Hulk Hogan) and Heather Clem sex video
•Revealing married U.S. Congressman Chris Lee's emails with woman he met on Craigslist
•Revealing alleged sexual encounter involving Christine O'Donnell, Republican nominee for the 2010 Senate special election in Delaware
•Revealing married Condé Nast executives alleged prostitution solicitation with a gay porn star/escort
•Gawker.com co-founded by former Financial Times journalist Nick Denton and Elizabeth Speirs.
2003
•Elizabeth Spiers left and was replaced with Choire Sicha, a former art dealer.
August2004
•Choire Sicha left for New York Observer and was replaced with Jessica Coen, who became Gawker's editorial director.
2005
•Gawker's editor position was split between two co-editors, and Coen was joined by guest editors from a variety of New York City-based blogs.
•Matt Haber was engaged as co-editor for several months followed by Jesse Oxfeld.
July 2006
•Alex Balk replaced Jesse Oxfeld as co-editor.
•Chris Mohney, formerly of Gridskipper, Gawker Media's travel blog, hired for the newly created position of managing editor.
September 28, 2006
•Jessica Coen announced she would be leaving the site to become deputy online editor at Vanity Fair, with Alex Balk and co-editor Emily Gould assuming shared editorial director responsibilities.
February 2007
•Choire Sicha returned from his position at the New York Observer, and replaced Mohney as the managing editor.
September 2007
•Associate editor Doree Shafrir left for the New York Observer and was replaced by Maggie Shnayerson.
September 21, 2007
•Alex Balk's departs to edit Radar Magazine's website and was replaced by Alex Pareene of Wonkette.
2008
•Weekend editor, Ian Spiegelman, quit Gawker allegedly because Denton fired his friend Sheila McClear without cause.
October 3, 2008
•19 staff members laid off in response to the impact of the 2008 financial crisis.
November 12, 2008
•Gawker Media announced selling the popular blog site Consumerist and the folding of Valleywag, with managing editor Owen Thomas being demoted to a columnist on Gawker, and the rest of the staff being laid off.
December 2009
•Nick Denton nominated for "Media Entrepreneur of the Decade" by Adweek, and Gawker was named "Blog of the Decade" by the advertising trade.
•Brian Morrissey of Adweek said "Gawker remains the epitome of blogging: provocative, brash, and wildly entertaining".
February 2010
•Nick Denton announced that Gawker was acquiring the "people directory" site CityFile.com, and was hiring that site's editor and publisher, Remy Stern, as the new editor-in-chief of Gawker, replacing Gabriel Snyder, who had been editor-in-chief for the previous 18 months.
December 2011
•A. J. Daulerio, former editor-in-chief of Gawker Media sports site Deadspin, replaced Remy Stern as editor-in-chief at Gawker.
2012
•Gawker.com reoriented focus away from editorial content, toward what new editor-in-chief A. J. Daulerio called "traffic whoring" and "SEO bomb throws".
January 2013
•Daulerio reportedly asked for more responsibility over other Gawker Media properties, but after a short time was pushed out and replaced as editor-in-chief by longtime Gawker writer John Cook.
March 2014
•Max Read became the Gawker's editor-in-chief.
April 2014
•Gawker.com bans using internet slang, per new writing style guidelines.
May 28, 2015
•Gawker.com staff announced upcoming unionization vote.
June 2015
•Approximately 3/4 of Gawker.com editorial staff voted to unionize, joining the Writers Guild of America.
July 2015
•Read & Gawker Media executive editor Tommy Craigs resigns in protest following the decision to delete Condé Nast executive alleged prostitution story, Leah Beckmann, the site's then deputy editor, took over as interim editor in chief.
October 2015
•Leah Beckman replaced with Alex Pareene.
June 10, 2016
•Gawker filed for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay Hogan $140 million in damages.
August 18, 2016
•Gawker Media announced that Gawker.com would be ceasing operations the following week.
•Its other websites were unaffected, continuing under Univision as the renamed Gizmodo Media Group.
August 22, 2016
•Co-founder Nick Denton created the original Gawker.com's final post.
2018
•The Freedom of the Press Foundation independently archived the Gawker.com website along with it's original digital archive.
July 12, 2018
•Bustle and Elite Daily owner, Bryan Goldberg, purchased Gawker.com and its archive in a bankruptcy auction for less than $1.5 million.
January 16, 2019
•It was announced Carson Griffith, Ben Barna, Maya Kosoff and Anna Breslaw were joining the staff of the new Gawker.
January 23, 2019
•Kosoff and Breslaw announced they were quitting the site over alledged offensive workplace comments made by Griffith.
March 2019
•Dan Peres was announced as the site's editor-in-chief.
August 2019
•Peres, Griffith and the rest of the staff tasked with relaunching the site were laid off. "We are postponing the Gawker relaunch," a BDG spokesperson said. "For now, we are focusing company resources and efforts on our most recent acquisitions, Mic, The Outline, Nylon and Inverse."
July 28, 2021
•Bustle Digital Group relaunched Gawker.com, with Leah Finnegan as editor.
February 1, 2023
•Bustle Digital Group suspended the site's operations, with Finnegan tweeting the publication was folding.
November 2023
•Gawker acquired by Meng Ru Kuok.
•Gawker.com's original digital archive was not included in this purchase, with all articles wiped from the website, relocated to http://gawkerarchives.com
Bollea v. Gawker was a lawsuit filed in 2013 by Terry Gene Bollea (Hulk Hogan), and one of numerous campaigns secretly financed by a butt hurt Peter Theil, against Gawker.com regarding a sex tape featuring Bollea with Heather Clem, the wife of his friend & radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, Todd Clem, who had encouraged Bollea to fuck his wife.
Court
•Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pinellas County, Florida
Full case name
•Terry Gene Bollea, professionally known as Hulk Hogan, Plaintiff, v. Heather Clem; Gawker Media, LLC aka Gawker Media; Gawker Media Group, Inc. aka Gawker Media; Gawker Entertainment, LLC; Gawker Technology, LLC; Gawker Sales, LLC; Nick Denton; A.J. Daulerio; Kate Bennert, and Blogwire Hungary Szellemi Alkotast Hasznosito KFT aka Gawker Media, Defendants
•Injunction denied, Bollea v. Gawker Media, LLC, 913 F. Supp. 2d 1325 (M.D. Fla. 2012), motion to remand granted, Bollea v. Clem, 937 F. Supp. 2d 1344 (M.D. Fla. 2013)
Judge sitting
•Pamela A. M. Campbell
2006
•Bollea visited friends Todd & Heather Clem's residence, and was subsequently recorded having sex with Heather Clem.
2012
•The Bollea/Clem sex video somehow mysteriously makes it's way from Todd Clem's possession to Gawker.com editor, A. J. Daulerio.
•Todd Clem later admitted burning the original footage to a DvD that he labeled 'Hogan' and kept in a desk drawer.
October 4, 2012
•A. J. Daulerio posted a 2 minute extract from the 30 minute Terry Bollea/Heather Clem sex video, including 10 seconds of explicit sexual activity.
•In the clip, Todd Clem can be heard saying that the couple can "do their thing" and he will be in his office.
•At the end of the video, Todd Clem can be heard telling Heather, "If we ever need to retire, here is our ticket".
October 15, 2012
•Bollea filed a lawsuit against the Clems for invading his privacy.
October 29, 2012
•Todd Clem settled the suit, following the settlement Todd publicly apologized to Bollea.
2012
•Bollea initially sued Gawker for copyright infringement in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, seeking a temporary injunction, however U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore denied Bollea's motion, ruling that the validity of the copyright was in question, and that given the degree to which Bollea had already put his own private life into the public arena, the publication of the video might be protected by fair use.
•Notice Bollea's apparent concern with Gawker was initially only regarding copyright infringement, and not about privacy or emotional distress, which suggests Bollea simply wanted money.
•Enter new attorney, Harder, who made pursuing Gawker the focal point of his new firm, Harder Mirell & Abrams.
•According to a former employee of Harder's, someone in Thiel's camp cold-called Harder at his previous law firm, Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin, "looking for an entertainment lawyer.", andby mid-October 2012 Harder had taken on Bollea as a client, then only two months later, even though he was a partner at Wolf Rifkin, the 46-year-old with a southern California tan and bleach-white smile left to set up his own shop in January 2013, taking the wrestler's case with him.....and seems to have primarily only attracted clients specifically going after Gawker.
2013
•Bollea filed a 2nd lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, sueing Gawker Media, publisher of the Gawker website, several Gawker employees and Gawker-affiliated entities for posting portions of the Bollea/Clem sex video.
2013-2016
•FORBES revealed in late May, 2016, that Peter Thiel was proactively scheming against Gawker behind the scenes and is the clandestine financier of numerous lawsuits targeting Gawker Media, the most damaging ultimately being the 2nd Bollea v. Gawker sex video lawsuit which eventually resulted in a jury awarding $140 million to Bollea.
•It was soon revealed that Peter Thiel had paid Bollea's lawyers around $10 million.
•Gawker, supported by free-speech advocates like eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, denounced Thiel's gambit as an attempt to permanently snuff out an unpopular media outlet through aggressive litigation, while Thiel, seemingly oblivious to his arrogantly ironic hypocrisy, describes his efforts as "one of my greater philanthropic things," helping those who have been wronged by a "singularly terrible bully."
•Yeah, that's coming from the same Peter Theil behind Palantir Technologies, the company specializing in establishing a vast digital surveillance & control systems using our public & private data.
March 2016
•Theil financed Bollea successfully sues Gawker Media into bankruptcy for publishing Todd Clem's sex tape of Bollea fucking Todd's wife, with a jury of six awarding Bollea more than $140 million.
•Gawker announced it would appeal as it was "disappointed" that the jury was unable to hear Clem's testimony.
May 2016
•Bollea had sued Gawker again, alleging that they were responsible for leaking sealed court documents that had quoted him using racial slurs which were published by the National Enquirer, subsequently leading to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fired him.
•Gawker denied responsibility for the leak.
•Bollea would be re-signed by WWE on July 15, 2018.
June 10, 2016
•Gawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and put itself up for sale, while Nick Denton personally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on August 1.
August 16, 2016
•Univision Communications bought Gawker Media's assets for $135 million at a bankruptcy auction.
•The sale to Univision included six Gawker websites, Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku & Lifehacker, which weren't involved with the publication of the Bollea/Clem sex video.
August 18, 2016
•It was announced that the main Gawker.com site would be shut down the following week.
November 2016
•Gawker, simply financially incapable of continuing to battle against the billionaire backed Bollea's overwhelming financial superiority on top of numerous other Theil financed suits and agendas targeting Gawker, ultimately settled with Bollea for $31 million.
A jew-American billionaire businessman, co-founder & chairman emeritus of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly Limited Brands), Jeffrey Epstein's sugar daddy and Palantir/Palantir Mafia investor.
Born
•September 8, 1937, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Jew
•Yes
Zionized
•Yes
Talmudized
•Yes
•Dybbuk
Mother
•Bella née Cabakoff (1908–2001)
•U.S. born Russian-jew offspring
Father
•Harry Louis Wexner (1899–1975)
•Russian-jew immigrant
Sibling
•Younger sister, Susan
Education
•Bexley High School
•Ohio State University (BBA)
•OSU Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity
•Moritz College of Law (briefly)
Influences
•Mentored by A. Alfred Taubman, starting in the mid 1960s, and the two partnered on many deals involving Taubman's shopping malls
•Epstein was his financial manager (1987-2007) and was initially the "main client" of Epstein's money-management firm, which Epstein ran from a house Wexner owns, and occasionally lived in it.
Spouse
•Abigail S. Koppel (m. 1993)
Children
•4
1963
•Wexner's aunt lent him $5,000, which he combined with a matching loan from a bank in order to start The Limited
August 10, 1963
•Wexner opened his first Limited store in the Kingsdale Shopping Center in Upper Arlington, Ohio
August 1964
•He opened a second Limited store
1969
•He took Limited Brands public, listed as LTD on the NYSE
1970s
•Wexner expanded The Limited considerably
1976
•Opened his 100th Limited Brands store
1978
•He took on significant debt in order to acquire the importer & manufacturer, Mast Industries, gaining essential business advantages over competitors
1980s
•Wexner doubled his retail holdings, acquiring other companies and became known as a major retail owner at malls across America
1982
•Wexner acquired the lingerie business Victoria's Secret, which started as an MBA project by Stanford graduate Roy Raymond.
•Ray Raymond, who described Wexner as "very guarded", stating, "When I met him, it was as if he met the devil."
•Six months later, Raymond was facing bankruptcy, so he contacted Wexner and offered to sell Victoria's Secret, who bought the company for $1 million
1985
•Arthur Shapiro, lawyer & partner in a prominent Columbus law firm, assassinated, shot with two bullets to the head in broad daylight.
•Observers described execution as bearing the hallmarks of a Mafia hit
•Prior to his death, Shapiro was legal adviser & money manager for Les Wexner, a role that would soon be filled by Jeffrey Epstein
•Although never solved, the murder brought scrutiny to Wexner's group, including a police investigation leading to allegations of ties to organized crime.
•In particular, Limited contracted a significant part of it's logistics to Walsh Trucking, whose owners were alleged to have close ties with one of the major Italian crime syndicates of NYC.
•Limited also cooperated on a number of shopping mall projects with Edward DeBartolo, who moved in the same circles.
•These allegations, among others, were brought to light by journalist Bob Fitrakis, after he gained access to a police report later dubbed "The Arthur Shapiro Murder File"
August 1985
•Wexner was profiled by a New York Magazine in which he told the interviewer that he had a dybbuk, a malevolent spirit from Jewish folklore.
•He said the spirit continually prodded him to be successful, and that it looked like him
•Wexner joined Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman, establishing the Wexner Foundation's first core program, aimed "to educate Jewish communal leaders in the history, thought, traditions and contemporary challenges of the Jewish people"
1987
•Wexner hired Jeffrey Epstein as his financial manager, and became the primary client of Epstein, who claimed to only work with clients with a net worth of one billion USD or greater
1988-1997
•Wexner served on the Board of Trustees of Ohio State University
1989
•Wexner purchased his New York property, the Herbert N. Straus House, selling it to Jeffrey Epstein in the mid-1990s following Wexner's marriage to Abigail
•Wexner and his mother Bella were first to make a $1 million personal donation to United Way, with both of their names being inscribed in marble, on display in the lobby of the United Way Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia
1991
•Wexner granted Jeffrey Epstein power of attorney and instated him as a trustee on the board of the Wexner Foundation
•Wexner formed with billionaire Charles Bronfman the Study Group, which is more widely known as the Mega Group
The Mega Group was a loosely organized club of some of the country's wealthiest and most influential businessmen who were concerned with Jewish issues, which include Max Fischer, Michael Steinhardt, Leonard Abramson, Edgar Bronfman, and Laurence Tisch.
•This group would meet twice a year for two days of seminars related to the topic of philanthropy and Judaism
1992
•Victoria's Secret worth estimated at $1 billion
•Wexner's strategy was to employ Victoria's Secret as part of a cunningly simplistic marketing scheme whereby Victoria's Secret eventually became widely known for marketing it's products with super model featured in an annual fashion show, overseen by Ed Razek
January 23, 1993
•Wexner married attorney Abigail S. Koppel
1993
•Wexner hired Len Schlesinger, a Harvard Business School professor, whom he later appointed as a company director, to advise him
Mid-1990s
•Complaints were raised against Jeffrey Epstein, by executives of L Brands reporting that Epstein was abusing his power and connection to Wexner by posing as a recruiter for Victoria's Secret models
1996
•Maria Farmer contacted local & federal authorities about an assault she allegedly endured by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell while working as an artist-in-residence on Wexner's Ohio property
1997
•Within a year of Farmer's complaint, actress Alicia Arden filed a police report in Los Angeles detailing that Jeffrey Epstein had misrepresented himself as a recruiter for Victoria's Secret prior to another alleged assault
1998
•Steven Spielberg spoke about his personal religious journey through the Mega Group, the group, which Wexner co-chaired with Charles Bronfman, went on to inspire a number of "philanthropic" schemes such as the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, Birthright Israel, and the upgrading of national Hillel
May 11, 2004
•Wexner received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship at a dinner in Columbus, presented by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC
December 2005
•Wexner was appointed to his second term on the board of Ohio University
Early 2006
•Jeffrey Epstein charged in Florida with "multiple counts of molestation and unlawful sexual activity with a minor"
•The New York Times reported that 18 months after the charges were filed, Wexner cut his ties with Epstein
2007
•Jeffrey Epstein no-longer retained as Wexner's financial manager
May 2008
•George W. Bush appointed Wexner to serve in the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel
2009
•Wexler elected chairman of the board of Ohio University
May 7, 2010
•Wexner inducted as an honorary member of the 104th Sphinx Senior Class at Ohio State University
February 16, 2011
•Wexner pledged a donation of $100 million to Ohio State, to be allocated to the university's academic Medical Center, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, with additional gifts to the Wexner Center for the Arts and other areas
•Through the L Brands Foundation, Wexner and L Brands contributed $163.4 million to the Columbus Foundation
2012
•It was announced that Wexner's chairmanship at the board of Ohio State University was to end, eight years before his appointment would have ended
•Wexner hosted a fundraiser for Mitt Romney, donated $250,000 to Restore Our Future, Romney's super PAC
February 10, 2012
•Ohio State University board of trustees voted to rename the Ohio State University Medical Center to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, commemorating "Mr. Wexner's indelible, lifelong legacy of leadership at Ohio State", according to university president E. Gordon Gee, during over 30 years of "ardent support" of the institution
2015
•Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was facing declining sales
•Wexner donated $500,000 to the Right to Rise USA super Pac that supported presidential campaign of Jeb Bush
2017
•Wexner listed by Forbes as one of the wealthiest seven billionaires from Ohio, he was also major funder of the Wexner Center for the Arts at the Ohio State University, which is named in honor of his father
2018
•Continued declining sales led to this being the final year for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show....
September 14, 2018
•The Columbus Dispatch reported that Wexner had renounced his affiliation with the Republican Party due to changes in its nature, Wexner made his comment shortly after former President Barack Obama gave a speech on the same Columbus Partnership panel that Wexner addressed
August 2019
•Following Epstein's second incarceration and prior to his faked death, Wexner addressed the Wexner Foundation, releasing a written statement that his former financial advisor, Jeffrey Epstein, had "misappropriated vast sums of money" from him and from his family.
•Wexner retained the services of Debevoise & Plimpton criminal defense attorney and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Mary Jo White
Late 2019-early 2020
•Wexner faced additional public scrutiny when a group of wrestlers who are survivors of the Ohio State University abuse scandal publicly called on state and federal officials to conduct further inquiry into Maria Farmer's allegations of sexual assault at the Wexner property
•The wrestlers called for accountability for the Wexner family's alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein's abuse and raised the issue of the continuing influence of Abigail and Leslie Wexner serving as the "biggest and best-known benefactors" of the university
February 2020
•Wexner announced that he was transitioning from CEO of L Brands into the role of chairman emeritus
January 14, 2021
•L Brands shareholders filed a complaint in the Court of Chancery of Delaware, stating that Wexner, among others, created an "entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying & harassment", and was aware of abuses being committed by Jeffrey Epstein, which breached Wexner's fiduciary duty to the company and devalued the brand
•The complaint also names Wexner's wife, current chair Sarah E. Nash, and former marketing officer Ed Razek, whose "widely known misconduct" was allegedly allowed at the company
2022
•Wexner was mentioned in the pop song "Victoria's Secret", for profiting off women and contributing to their toxic body ideals
•When Jax sings that "I know Victoria's secret, and girl, you wouldn't believe. She's an old man who lives in Ohio making money off of girls like me", she refers to Wexner.
•Wexner's relationship with Epstein was one of the subjects of the 2022 Hulu documentary Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons
2024
•Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is revived
Les Wexner, the founder of Bat & Body Works, Inc. (formerly L Brands (originally Limited Brands)), has connections to Palantir/Palantir Mafia through their shared involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner's ties to Palantir stem from his relationship with Epstein, who had close ties to Palantir's early investors and founders.
Specifically, a 2019 New York Times article reported that Epstein was an early investor in Palantir and introduced Peter Thiel to Wexner.
This introduction led to Wexner becoming an investor in Palantir as well.
While Wexner is not a founder or executive at Palantir, his investment and connection through Epstein are notable aspects of the company's early history.
The Wexner Foundation, which Wexner founded, also played a role in the early development of Palantir through its support of Jewish leadership programs that were attended by some of Palantir's founders.
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