I’m a reporter at a new publication called Puck who writes about billionaires in America.
I’ve spent the last six years writing about the mega-rich. I used to cover presidential politics, writing for CNN about the swaggering moneymen, the exclusive fundraisers, and the slash-and-burn super PACs of America after Citizens United. Four years ago, I moved out with Recode to the true home of the modern billionaire — the San Francisco Bay Area — to get an up-close look at the tech fortunes being made and deployed during this extraordinary era of American capitalism. Now I’m part of the founding team at Puck, a new digital media publication that tries to bring you into the inside conversation in Silicon Valley.
What unites this work is my fascination with the characters, the egos and the drama that often accompany the wealthiest people in the world. I just love a great, dishy scoop. But I also believe that this beat is public-service journalism. Just as reporters cover poverty in America, reporters must cover and uncover wealth in America — offering the scrutiny that informs essential debates about income inequality, money-in-politics and the role of private philanthropy. If we don’t have a common set of facts about how the wealthiest people in society spend their money or live their lives, then we are just shooting in the dark — arguing based on press releases, unfounded suspicions and our set-in-stone, prior beliefs.
If you’ve come across this website, maybe you’re interested in these questions, too. I’d love to hear from you — you can follow my reporting as it happens on Twitter here, read some of my favorite stories here and get in touch with me directly and confidentially over here. My mom tells me I am a good listener.
