Sophie Alexander Profile Banner
Sophie Alexander Profile
Sophie Alexander

@sooo__phie

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Covering rich people, how their $ and power impact the rest of society @business Email me at salexander82 @ Bloomberg dot net pic of me by @evamarieu

NYC
Joined August 2016
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
21 days
NEW: Elon Musk is doing his part to save the global population from collapsing— with his 💸💸💸 and his DNA. He had a 3rd kid with his employee earlier this year. That’s his sixth since 2020. 🎁 LINK:
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Earlier this year, I went to Hawaii to see what it’s like to live in a place controlled by a billionaire.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
The numbers are mind boggling: A ~$250,000,000,000 fortune. ~42,000,000,000 committed to philanthropy and ~7,200,000,000 donated so far. @BSteverman and I break down Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott's plans to give away their massive fortunes via @BW
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
While $6 billion and $791 million are a lot, it's important to remember how big these fortunes are. Last year the couple added almost $100 BILLION to their combined fortunes.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
NEW: Months before Musk donated $5.7 billion of his Tesla stake to charity in November, he'd added a new face to his foundation's staff. Igor Kurganov, a former poker player-turned effective altruist seems to be running things at the Austin-based org
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
MacKenzie Scott’s $8.6 billion charitable spree has been so fast and so big — and the process behind it so mysterious — that some real recipients think it’s fake. We reached out to all 780+ of them to learn more about where her money is going and how.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
The richest person in the world on the proposed billionaires’ tax:
@elonmusk
Elon Musk
3 years
@RichardMcCrackn @RonWyden @JeffBezos Exactly. Eventually, they run out of other people’s money and then they come for you.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
My beat increasingly consists of stories about how billionaires control communities. If a billionaire has influence over your town, pls DM me!!
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
It’s been a decade since Larry Ellison bought almost everything on Lanai – an island of 3,000 people with a rich and complicated history. People there are used to living under the control of a billionaire, but with $90 billion, Ellison is a whole new breed. A modern king!
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
You probably know Trump is a businessman and that his business isn't doing very well right now, but do you actually know what his empire is made up of? @maxabelson , @BBGVisualData and I break it down for you.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
@delia_cai Mr. Big from Sex and the City was manspreading next to me on the subway and I looked up to give him a dirty look and we made eye contact and I realized who he was and he knew it
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
1 year
Sean Penn’s nonprofit exploded during the pandemic from ~12 to 2,500 people and $7MM in annual revenue to $122MM by 2021. As he got applauded, employees say @CoreResponse fumbled federal funds and ignored staff concerns about finances and harassment.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Where has Jack Dorsey been giving away that $1B of Square shares he promised to charity last year? A thread on one of the newest, biggest billionaire philanthropists… (Or just read the story below!)
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
5 years
The college admissions scandal cuts deepest among less privileged students who have worked their entire lives-- often with little help-- for a fair shot at getting into America's best universities. w/ @BSteverman and @JanetLorin
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
The problem is, no one really knows what Ellison's plan is -- not even the people who work for him! But since the billionaire moved to the island during the pandemic, the execution of his plans seems to be picking up. And locals are anxious.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
It's the Wild West in this $100 billion corner of crypto investing, with no regulation and scams abound. Vigilante groups like the @RugSeekers have stepped in to help investors figure out whether they're getting robbed. Today's Big Take w/ @misyrlena
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
Last year, a billionaire randomly eliminated the student debt of 400 young men @Morehouse . I spoke to one of the lucky grads and one of his less fortunate peers in the Class of 2018 in a look at how crippling student debt can be early in life:
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Tidbit of note from Amazon share jump today: MacKenzie Scott made $2.9 billion in a matter of hours— $200 million more than she’s donated so far this year (despite her record pace/scale of giving) w/ @ScottJourno
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
***American billionaires hold more than $5 trillion (with a T!) ***They've added $1.2 trillion to their combined fortune over the last year alone The vast majority of that is in the form of unrealized gains, which is the target of the "billionaires' tax"
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
the feminine urge to move yourself from first byline to second byline
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
From the time it took Jeff to announced the Earth Fund in Feb. to the time he gave away the first $791M in Nov., he added ~$54 billion to his fortune.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
NEW: Last year, the ex-Amazon executive running Bezos's nonprofit pre-k for low-income kids was paid closer to an Ivy League president's salary. In most of 2021 they only had 1 school with 13 kids.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
I think it’s safe to say she already was a billionaire
@Forbes
Forbes
3 years
Melinda Gates is now a billionaire
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
I saw someone on the train today with an avocado tied to their forehead
@IsaacFitzgerald
Isaac Fitzgerald
3 years
Not to be all, “New York City is back, baby!” but I just passed a man selling baby turtles on the streets of Brooklyn.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Scoop: Jared Kushner's family company is selling 10 apt complexes in Maryland, where there's a lawsuit against them over 'hazardous conditions,' among other things. Latest two sold for combined $240M. The rest are expected to close before summer.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Trump has some loyalists who are passionate patrons of his businesses -- and those of his allies: “I’ve never bought Goya beans in my life, and now my house looks like a Goya factory...We’ve got MyPillows everywhere.” w/ the fantastic @maxabelson
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
The couple first hit billioniare status in the late 1990's, but Bezos' first public gift wasn't until 2011
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Another sign of public pressure for Bezos to start giving back is the Twitter account @HasBezosDecided which student Morgan Paulett started in 2019. Everyday it tweets: “Jeff Bezos has decided he will not end world hunger today.”
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
What Max said! We’ll be covering all things related to the Trump family business post-White House. Will be back in New York very soon!
@maxabelson
Max Abelson
3 years
Here's some news: I'm getting back into the business of reporting on Trump's empire. Will also be keeping an eye on Wall Street too, of course. Good stuff to come over the next few months from me, @sooo__phie , @tina_davis and an excellent gang of colleagues. Stay tuned
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Trump supporters are investing tens — and even hundreds — of thousands of dollars of their savings in his SPAC, waiting and hoping it all works out as planned. “I believe in Trump. I believe in him.” w/ @cfb_18 and @NBuhayar
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Some of its big gifts: $55 million to St Jude's $54 million to X Prize $10 million to UT Austin ~$5 million to Brownsville school district $4 million to Future of Life Insitute
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
🥰
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
NEW: SBF's philanthropy promised ~$90 million to charities that will never be paid out. Another $10 million that was paid came from an FTX subsidiary that is bankrupt, meaning the gifts *could* be clawed back. w/ @laurapdavison
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Genuinely considered tweeting this story with a ✨✨PERSONAL NEWS!! I got to go to Hawaii for work ✨✨
@coldspot
Jack Witzig
2 years
Or as I call it, finding out the hard way that @sooo__phie got to go to Hawaii.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Now that Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon, we could see him start to give away more, faster. After all, Bill Gates, one of the most praised philanthropists in history didn't really step up his giving until leaving Microsoft.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Elon Musk tweets and millions listen. I spoke with one investor who, after seeing Musk's tweet, drove 16 hours to Brownsville and bought two homes in cash the day he arrived. But it's not just real estate that's changing thanks to Musk's influence.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
7 months
Celebrity chef José Andrés’ disaster relief charity has been dealing with fraud, sexual harassment allegations and staff protests over the past year. I spoke to more than two dozen workers to get the full picture of WCK and its leader, “Hurricane José”
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
My birthday wish is that you read my story from yesterday about a man who said he lost most of his retirement savings —$300k — after his Robinhood account was hacked and the company wouldn’t return it (w/ @MelinAnders )
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
"The fact that we would even talk about the future of global public health hinging on the relationship between individuals, I think it’s reflective of a larger problem”
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
Kanye West's Yeezy was worth as much as $3 billion at the end of last year per a Bank of America valuation we reviewed. Kanye owns 100% of the company. He also owns about $300,000 worth of livestock on his Wyoming ranch! w/ @KimBhasin
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Lots of mixed feelings about the MacKenzie Scott news: "It seems she really wants to step out of the limelight and I think there’s something beneficial about that...but it cloaks the transparency and the accountability."
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
In 2017, the year Bezos became the world's richest man with ~$90B, pressure mounted for him to explain how he'd spend it for good. He tweeted this in June. At this point he's given away ~$70M.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
5 years
Sonali is in the SF newsroom one day and giggling is up 100%
@sonalibasak
Sonali Basak
5 years
Hello San Francisco
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
2019 is also the year Jeff and MacKenzie divorce. MacKenzie ends up with 1/4 of the couple's fortune and almost immediately pledges to give away the majority of it to charity.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
A good time for the reminder that as a Bloomberg News reporter I am not allowed to report on Michael Bloomberg or his philanthropy.
@teddyschleifer
Teddy Schleifer
3 years
Mike Bloomberg commits $750 million over the next five years to get 150,000 more kids into charter schools.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
5 years
So often on my drive from @KenyonCollege to the Columbus airport, someone in the car would point out New Albany and say it was built by the Victoria's Secret owner. Turns out they were right!
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Always read the brilliant @josheidelson but especially today as American workers -- on the heels of the Great Resignation and #Striketober -- are in a unique spot, finally with *some* leverage! His feature on unemployment tells you what you need to know.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Remember, this was all during the period when he was sparring with politicians on Twitter about his taxes. A large gift to charity would help reduce what he owed to the government and at the time he claimed it'd be the biggest U.S. tax bill ever.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
GooOOood Morning! Check out our piece, which is the Big Take on @business today.
@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Where has Jack Dorsey been giving away that $1B of Square shares he promised to charity last year? A thread on one of the newest, biggest billionaire philanthropists… (Or just read the story below!)
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
Overheard on roommate’s work zoom call: “Do you mind if I drop off? We’re having an earthquake right now”
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
7 months
Jakarta is the fastest sinking mega city on the planet. Experts say it has until 2030 to save itself — and its best last hope is a local noodle billionaire.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Anyways, there's a new richest person on the block: Elon Musk. And already, people, including him, are talking about how he'll give some of his fortune away:
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Last year was the busiest year yet for the couple. MacKenzie gave away $6 billion in a matter of months and Jeff pledged to donate $10 billion to help solve climate change. In November, Jeff gave away the first $791 million of that pledge.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
5 years
My view sending final edits this morn
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
including over the weekend!
@MetaNewsroom
Meta Newsroom
3 years
Over the last 6 weeks, including over the weekend, we’ve seen how documents can be mischaracterized. Obviously, not every employee at Facebook is an executive; not every opinion is the company’s position.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
(2/12) First off— that $1B is now more like $4.5B because Square shares have ballooned. He’s given away $420M+ so far. At this rate — with billions left to give and growing— Dorsey could be at the project forever. Literally.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
1 year
Thanks so much to all the employees who spoke with me even though they were still processing their time at CORE and the many who said they were afraid of what CORE might do if they found out they talked. Of course, also a thank you to my fantastic editor @JeffMuskus
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
Woke up, checked time, thought “have they called it?!?”, realized it’s the wrong 2:45 am to be wondering that, manically scrolled twitter anyways
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
At least *I* think I'm funny
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
11 months
“This is the American dream — I did everything right,” said Mclaurin, whose standard monthly payment would be about $1,700. “I'll have a looming debt hanging over me for the rest of my life.” via @PaulinaCachero + @cfb_18
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
(END) There’s plenty of money left to give so this could all change! But it’s what we know so far. P.S. This is the second in a (hopefully) ongoing series on the new big givers. Here’s the story on MacKenzie Scott from earlier this year:
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people, but a special shoutout to @maxabelson -- There are few ppl I'd rather spend six (6!!) straight hours with fact checking on a Sunday!
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
It feels legitimately dark outside rn in SF
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
One reader’s take on billionaire philanthropy news today
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Eric Adams: "We are working every day to dam the many rivers that feed the sea of violence.” What he's talking about: jumping subway turnstiles, "sleeping on a park bench, taking up two seats on the subway”... great story by @FolaAk
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
(9/12) The rest of the gifts went all over— but a common thread was someone knowing someone connected to Dorsey. The name that came up the most was DeRay Mckesson— the BLM activist, podcast host and friend of Dorsey.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
(4/12) Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Jaden Smith, John Legend and Matt Damon are among those whose charitable organizations have received direct donations from Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic LLC #StartSmall .
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
5 years
@cfb_18 I get that all the time from people our age. There seems to be a real misunderstanding as to what reporters actually do...
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
5 years
My welcome to SF!
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
In California, early social distancing measures may have slowed the spread of the virus. Still, a surge in cases is not a matter of if, but when. Hopefully we've bought enough time to prepare. w/ @dinabass @nquerolo
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Then, because of the financial disclosure's pesky ranges, I took the net worth valuation we have for Trump, updated it and looked at how it compared to 2016's. Again, almost everything is down.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
"The sad news spread quickly through the Happiest Place on Earth. Princess Jasmine was being laid off. Winnie-the-Pooh, too. Even Mickey Mouse." Meanwhile, Bob Iger, Disney's exec chairman has become a billionaire. A fun/depressing one by @MelinAnders
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
"While he portrayed his proposal as having to do with debate over billionaires avoiding taxes, the filings released Wednesday show some of the transactions were pre-arranged in mid-September" via @MelinAnders
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
1 year
@KimBhasin The bar mitvahs were lit
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Shout out to @rzgreenfield for edits, @cedricsam for graphics, @_marybiekert for coreporting and @KurtWagner8 for his institutional knowledge. Also @stephcd for the rad art
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Early May: Gateses announce divorce, insist no changes to foundation or their roles Late May: Okay maybe some changes June: Warren Buffett resigns as third trustee July: Bill has power to kick Melinda out in 2 years
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
On Dorsey news: Billionaire founders don't typically get serious about their philanthropy until stepping down from the companies they built. Right now Dorsey is CEO of Twitter, Square and "very involved" in his giving. That's a lot on his plate...
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
“Public records!” 🕵🏼‍♀️💃👑🧠
@JayShams
Jacob Shamsian ⚖️
3 years
The best compliment you can give to a journalist is "how did you get this number?"
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Taking it back from Wall Street with the help of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Barclays and at least nine other banks
@jack
jack
2 years
The idea and service is all that matters to me, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both. Twitter as a company has always been my sole issue and my biggest regret. It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model. Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
(My mom ignoring me)
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@v_dcknz
sleepiest girl in the whole wide world
3 years
FaceTime is so embarrassing when the other person doesn’t pick up it’s just you staring at your own pathetic face craving human connection
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Sophie Alexander
3 years
@andretartar took his first financial disclosure, which covers 2015, and his latest, which covers 2020 to look at how each piece of the empire has performed. Almost everything is down in terms of revenue.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
1 year
Amazon and Airbnb are among the corporate donors reviewing their relationship with Sean Penn's nonprofit after our @BW investigation earlier this year
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
Two mega-IPOs in a week would normally have SF preparing for a rush of wealth, but as Covid hammers the city into routine lockdowns, many of the millionaires-to-be probably left months ago for the burbs or Tahoe or beyond
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
3 years
Rich Americans have long used philanthropy to patch over dubious business records and build a more flattering legacy. The Sacklers' naming rights have come under serious scrutiny in recent years bc of their role in the opioid crisis.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
From hearing today: “In the 19th century, we had the Robber Barons. In the 21st century, we’ve got the ‘Cyber Barons’” w/ @BSteverman
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
2 years
Rich people with foundations are taking advantage of a loophole that allows them to get their tax break for giving $$ to charity...without necessarily giving $$ to charity. @NBuhayar + @BSteverman and I dig in.
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
4 years
Meanwhile in San Jose, two wealthy Silicon Valley insiders are spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to build the ~ideal~ city. w/ @NBuhayar
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@sooo__phie
Sophie Alexander
1 year
One more: “They're incompetent and super defensive and every single thing that they do is to protect Sean's image.”
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