this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2026
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288
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence California politics (missionlocal.org)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by Beep@lemmus.org to c/technology@lemmy.world
28 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Removed/flagged from Hacker News/ Y Combinator news.

Tan, the CEO of the vaunted startup incubator Y Combinator, announced Wednesday he had spun up a dark-money group called “Garry’s List” that he described as a “voter education group” that is “dedicated to civic engagement, voter education and support for common-sense policies and candidates” in a press release. Such groups give donors a way to anonymously support causes without giving directly to a candidate or a measure.

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[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 94 points 3 days ago (2 children)

But the operation is also a media venture: Garry’s List started with a blog pillorying public-sector unions as “special interests,” attacking the ongoing teachers’ strike, and denouncing the proposed billionaire tax.

That's all I need to know this guy is a piece of shit.

For years, Tan has called on tech executives to create “parallel” media and “replace the unelected parts of the system,” like unions and nonprofits. “We need our own machine,” he said in 2023.

Sorry, I meant a really really really really really BIG big piece of shit.

[–] fushuan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 2 days ago

Unions and non-profits are as much "unelected part of our system" as private companies are, is he proposing to regulate those too? Of course not, what a piece of shit.

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He also talks about the current Twitter being parallel media. And how that’s a good thing for furthering his agenda of tech ceos taking control of society.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Smart fella. Wait, no, I meant fart smella.

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 66 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Another well balanced individual throwing money around to change the world to the way they see fit. Surely this will lead to a beautiful utopia this time.

[–] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago

This is the 2nd time I read a piece on Y Combinator.

First one was about a brother team that was "accepted" into the incubator for their company.

They make war drones. Lovely.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 44 points 3 days ago (1 children)

announced Wednesday he had spun up a dark-money group

That's the state of american politics, that people just "announce" that they're starting a dark-money group to influence public policy...

Like, didn't dark money used to be a dirty secret? It wasn't even that long ago. Crazy...

[–] regedit@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago

Well it isn't called dark for it's racial diversity...

[–] vala@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago

Of course it was removed from hacker news

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 30 points 3 days ago

Cool. I was just thinking the other day that there's not quite enough of a tech billionaire voice in American politics. It's your time to be heard bruh!!

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 40 points 3 days ago (1 children)

All this corporate lobbying and bribes says there's more money in corruption than innovation and competition.

Its how you know your democracy is dead and your economy is a zombie.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

As a CEO it is easy to compete when your competition is suffering from tariffs and all you're suffering from is sore knees and a bad taste in your mouth.

[–] regedit@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What, ol' Micky-Ds spluge not to your liking? 😉🤢🤮💭

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Based on the press, I'd say inventing an award and making a small gold trinket gift will cover you for at least a year.

That's how we know that Tim Apple's knees are not as sturdy as some of the other CEOs

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 24 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Hmm, I wonder what type of politicians the billionaire is advocating for...

He once tweeted that seven of the city’s supervisors — all progressives — should “die slow motherfuckers”

I'm shocked.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 8 points 3 days ago

Remember when Ron Paul's libertarian party threw out one of their members after he made similar comments about Mitt Romney? Tech elites are destroying discourse in front of our very eyes.

[–] Naich@lemmings.world 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"support for common-sense policies and candidates”

So that will be the loudest fascists who have their tongues furthest up the billionaires' arseholes.

[–] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 2 days ago

"support for common-sense policies and candidates"

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 6 points 2 days ago

Add him to The List

[–] TBi@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I feel out of touch. I have no idea what ycombinator is. I’ve always thought it was just a spam website and ignored it!

[–] JTode@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I also didn't know what it was when I discovered their forum, which is a combination of kool-aid addled VCbrains and tech geeks having normal, informed conversations about tech stuff. I was hanging out there for a while, until I realized.

[–] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago

They were early investors into Reddit.

[–] RIotingPacifist@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Another one? Isn't GrowSF already this?

[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 12 points 3 days ago

They've always got more money to spend.

Oligarchy and democracy are fundamentally incompatible.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Cali's economy is bigger than the UK, theres a lot of money to be thrown around.

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

California has far more billionaires than any other state by a large margin. According to Wiki, at under 200, the UK has fewer billionaires than California.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 2 points 3 days ago

Kind of a useless measure compared to billionaires per gdp or billionaires per capita. "Places with more money have people with more money"

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 6 points 3 days ago

Theres a similar group funded by billionaire Anschultz in Colorado, "Advance Colorado" and related groups.