Inside the Gay Tech Mafia
In Silicon Valley, rumors persist about a network of gay tech leaders shaping the industry’s future with exclusive social circles and startup deals.
San Francisco: People have talked about a “gay tech mafia” running Silicon Valley for years. Some say these men run the top tech companies and have big influence. Others think this idea is just a rumor or maybe even unfair thinking about gay people.
Many powerful tech leaders are openly gay or bisexual. Peter Thiel, Tim Cook, and Sam Altman are some well-known names. Some workers say gay men have created their own close friend groups in tech. These groups meet at private places and help each other with business deals.
People share different stories about how this works. One investor said gay tech leaders often only work with other gay men and straight men who support them. Some joke that young tech workers use saunas to meet investors. Others say gay tech leaders help promising young entrepreneurs get started.
A picture on X showed Y Combinator founders in a sauna with their leader, Garry Tan. People started guessing about what happened there. Tan says they were just having dinner with some rules about using his new sauna and cold pool. He thinks people who didn’t get into Y Combinator made up stories about what really happened.