Theodore Schleifer

Former Senior Reporter, Money and Influence, Recode

I was a reporter at Vox’s Recode who wrote about billionaires in America.

I’ve spent the last six years writing about the mega-rich. I used to cover presidential politics, writing for CNN about the swaggering moneymen, the exclusive fundraisers, and the slash-and-burn super PACs of America after Citizens United. Four years ago, I moved with Recode to the true home of the modern billionaire — the San Francisco Bay Area — to get an up-close look at the tech fortunes being made and deployed during this extraordinary era of American capitalism.

What unites this work is my fascination with the characters, the egos and the drama that often accompany the wealthiest people in the world. I just love a great, dishy scoop. But I also believe that this beat is public-service journalism. Just as reporters cover poverty in America, reporters must cover and uncover wealth in America — offering the scrutiny that informs essential debates about income inequality, money-in-politics, and the role of private philanthropy. If we don’t have a common set of facts about how the wealthiest people in society spend their money or live their lives, then we are just shooting in the dark — arguing based on press releases, unfounded suspicions, and our set-in-stone prior beliefs.