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Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Stratosphere, my private email focused on the money, power, and politics emanating from Silicon Valley, and the players who run it all.
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
The Stratosphere
The Stratosphere

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Greetings, and welcome back to The Stratosphere.

The shadow primary for the Republican presidential nomination is already underway, and that is definitely true for Silicon Valley’s mega-donors. In today’s issue, some fresh news nuggets on the early moves being made by everyone from Trump to DeSantis to lock down key, king-making G.O.P. contributors. If you care about the future of the Republican Party, and want to know more about the movers-and-shakers behind the scenes of American politics, now is the perfect time to subscribe to Puck.

Also, here’s a quick reader survey—we’d love your feedback.

Mentioned in today’s email: Lindsey Graham, David Sacks, Larry Ellison, Tim Scott, Palmer and Julie Luckey, Peter Thiel and Bibi Netanyahu. But first…

  • What happens to Napa?: The fate of the annual, much-hyped mid-August Nancy Pelosi fundraising extravaganza in wine country has been a topic of conversation among Democratic...

Can’t see the full story? You’re receiving the free version of The Stratosphere at . For full access to Puck, and to each of my colleagues, you can subscribe here.

Learn More
Silicon Valley G.O.P. Donor Spin-the-Bottle
Silicon Valley G.O.P. Donor Spin-the-Bottle
For once, all the intrigue in the tech donor community is on the right—with conservative billionaires picking their dance partners for 2024, navigating the Trump question, and contemplating the “DeSantasy.”
TEDDY SCHLEIFER TEDDY SCHLEIFER
For the first time in more than a decade, the political energy in Silicon Valley is not on the left but on the right. Larry Ellison is privately telling people that he wants his friend Tim Scott to run for president. Donald Trump’s super PAC is soliciting the involvement of Peter Thiel. Tech donors in Orange County are preparing to welcome Ron DeSantis for another offertory. The Silicon Valley G.O.P. shadow primary in 2024, in other words, is shaping up to resemble its Democratic equivalent in 2020, when candidates fought to lock down support of tech contributors and mega-donors before launching their campaigns.

I’ve been talking with Republican fundraisers in recent days to capture the state of the money game at the start...

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FOUR STORIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
The Kamala Question
The Kamala Question
News and notes on what keeps Biden’s team up at night.
TARA PALMERI & PETER HAMBY
Shari’s Secret Letter
Shari’s Secret Letter
What do two lawsuits and a “careless” private email reveal about Paramount’s M&A ambitions?
ERIQ GARDNER
Adani’s Hindenburg Disaster
Adani’s Hindenburg Disaster
Wall Street’s latest C.E.O. succession drama, Adani shockwaves, and JPow’s smoke signals.
WILLIAM D. COHAN
Late Night Endgame
Late Night Endgame
A candid conversation with Grammys executive producer Ben Winston.
MATTHEW BELLONI
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Latest Articles from Silicon Valley

Theodore Schleifer • February 8, 2023
The Inevitability of the World’s First Trillionaire
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Baratunde Thurston • February 8, 2023
A Modest Proposal for Fixing America’s Hilariously Broken Economy
Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Stratosphere, my private email focused on the money, power, and politics emanating from Silicon Valley, and the players who run it all.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  PREVIEW VERSION Start a free 7 day trial to unlock unlimited access to Puck. Greetings, and welcome back to The Stratosphere. The shadow primary for […]
Theodore Schleifer • February 8, 2023
Can Zuckerberg’s Old Roommate Strong-Arm Washington?
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agruberg@101studiosco.com • February 8, 2023
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wilde4oscar@hotmail.com • February 8, 2023
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