A months-long investigation by Wired's Zoë Bernard has pulled back the curtain on what's been Silicon Valley's worst-kept secret - how influential gay men at tech's highest levels have built their own power networks, mirroring the same exclusive club dynamics that have shaped the industry for decades. Based on interviews with 51 sources including 31 gay men, the report maps out a subculture operating quietly at the intersection of venture capital, tech leadership, and startup funding.
Silicon Valley just got confronted with a story it's been dancing around for years. Wired published an extensive investigation that maps out how gay men at tech's upper echelons have quietly built their own power networks - and it's sparking uncomfortable conversations about who really controls access in the industry.
Reporter Zoë Bernard spent months on the ground, talking to 51 people to piece together what insiders have long understood but rarely discussed publicly. The investigation, highlighted by TechCrunch, examines how influential figures have created tight-knit circles that function much like the traditional "boys' clubs" that have always dominated tech.
The timing couldn't be more charged. As the industry continues wrestling with questions about diversity, inclusion, and who gets a seat at the table, this investigation adds another layer to an already complex conversation. It's not just about representation anymore - it's about how informal networks shape everything from funding decisions to C-suite appointments.
Names that appear in the reporting include some of tech's most powerful players. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and veteran investor Keith Rabois all operate in circles where personal relationships and professional opportunities blur together in ways that can be hard to quantify but impossible to ignore.
What makes this investigation particularly sensitive is that it exposes a dynamic that cuts across simple narratives about diversity. These aren't outsiders fighting for representation - many of these individuals already sit at the pinnacle of tech power. Instead, the story examines how they've used that power to build networks that advantage their own, just like every other power structure before them.
