1/4 My first cover story for @forbes.com's print magazine explores the rise of veteran-founded businesses in the defense tech sector: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Ex-Military Entrepreneurs Are Set To Cash In On Defense Tech Boom

Backed by a record $32 billion in venture funding since 2022, the AI-powered defense tech revolution is set to create generational fortunes—and change how we wage war.

forbes.com

Sam Altman and the White House celebrated this week after aviation defense startup Hermeus successfully flew a plane at supersonic speed. Altman led the company's $100 million Series B round back in 2022. Now Hermeus is racing towards hypersonic flight: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

This Sam Altman- And Peter Thiel-Backed Aviation Company Achieves Supersonic Flight

Hermeus aims to make planes for the U.S. military that travel over five times the speed of sound—and maybe even introduce the world to hypersonic commercial air travel.

forbes.com

Anduril's massive new funding round has made its CEO and cofounder Brian Schimpf into a billionaire (one of three at the company). My latest for @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Anduril’s Massive Raise Makes Its CEO Into A Billionaire

Brian Schimpf, Palantir’s former director of engineering, left to join Anduril as its first CEO in 2017. Now he’s the firm’s third billionaire.

forbes.com

Professor Rockford Weitz quoted in a piece on the future of American drone warfare. @forbes.com @mhunterhart.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

These Navy Vets Are Betting Their Drone Software Maker Havoc Can Win Over The U.S. Military

Interest in drone boats is surging as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz drags on. Havoc, which just closed a $100 million funding round, claims it has the perfect tech to help but faces stiff headwin...

forbes.com

As the Strait of Hormuz crisis drags on, interest & investment is surging in the drone boat industry. My latest for @forbes.com profiles a buzzy contender, Havoc, run by a man who came to the U.S. as a 10-year-old refugee from Burma and just raised $100 million: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

These Navy Vets Are Betting Their Drone Software Maker Havoc Can Win Over The U.S. Military

Interest in drone boats is surging as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz drags on. Havoc, which just closed a $100 million funding round, claims it has the perfect tech to help but faces stiff headwin...

forbes.com

The Craigslist founder is speaking out in favor of the Giving Pledge. He tells @forbes.com he thought it would be “funny” to publish an op-ed telling billionaires to “pony up some dough”: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Why Craiglist’s Founder Penned Op-Ed In Defense Of The Giving Pledge

Craig Newmark tells Forbes he thought it would be “funny” to publish an op-ed telling billionaires to “pony up some dough.”

forbes.com

Jeffrey #Epstein had access to tech billionaires like Thiel and Musk. But he walked away from deals with major startups—including Spotify & SpaceX—that could have netted him hundreds of millions in total. Deep dive from @iainmartin.bsky.social + me for @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/iainma...

Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Secretive Silicon Valley Investments

Thanks to his relationships to tech billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, Epstein had access to a number of lucrative tech investments. But he walked away from several deals with major startups...

forbes.com

1/3. @giacomotognini.bsky.social and I have uncovered two new billionaire clients of Epstein’s in the latest batch of files: real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Ariane de Rothschild, heir by marriage to the Rothschild banking fortune.

The DOJ’s new Epstein files release shows that billionaire Gordon Getty both had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and allegedly brushed off his crimes: “well, we ALL have similar kinds of problems.” Read more in my latest for @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Epstein Files Reveal Ties To Billionaire Oil Heir Gordon Getty

The latest Epstein files from the DOJ show that Gordon Getty’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was much closer than previously known.

forbes.com

New nonprofit tax filings have been released showing that Bill Gates gave $2 billion more than previously known to his ex-wife Melinda's foundations, I report for @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Bill Gates Donated Another $2 Billion To Ex-Wife Melinda’s Foundations, Records Show

Melinda French Gates has received at least $10.8 billion from Bill to bolster her philanthropy supporting women and families.

forbes.com

Trump's new FTC pick has advocated for "country of origin" disclosure rules for over a year, so we have a good idea of what he'd push for if confirmed. David MacNeil would be the 12th known billionaire/billionaire's spouse in Trump's admin. My profile for @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Trump’s New FTC Pick Is A Billionaire Who Got Rich Manufacturing Car Mats In America

The founder and CEO of WeatherTech is worth more than $4 billion, thanks to his made-in-America car mats. Now he has his sights set on trade regulation.

forbes.com

Your medical data is more vulnerable than you might think. A new lawsuit from healthcare software giant Epic is shining a light on systemic issues with how patient records are transferred between providers. My latest for @forbes.com: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

A Bombshell Epic Lawsuit Shows How Your Medical Data Could Be At Risk

A lawsuit filed by electronic health record giant Epic could encourage reforms to a problematic system, where non-health companies can access patient records without their knowledge.

forbes.com

Interesting twist: Melinda French-Gates gave about five times as much to the Gates Foundation last year as her ex Bill Gates did, reports @mhunterhart.bsky.social for @forbes.com based on newly released filings #philanthropy www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Billionaire Gordon Getty has never spoken out about Trump publicly—but privately called him a possible psychopath, emails in the Epstein release show: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

This Billionaire Called Trump A Possible Psychopath, Epstein Release Shows

Once America’s richest person, Gordon Getty has donated to anti-Trump PACs but he kept quiet. Now emails from Epstein documents show exactly how he feels.

forbes.com

Great BI story on this quietly exploding industry. "As the megarich have multiplied, so too have their mansions, planes, and yachts that need to be staffed." For many, that's a "lucrative alternative to climbing an increasingly wobbly corporate ladder." www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-billio...

Gen Z's hottest new job: Nannying for billionaires

Gen Z is fleeing the white-collar apocalypse and joining billionaires' private staff, taking jobs as nannies, personal assistants, and private chefs.

businessinsider.com

1/3 Reddit’s popularity has exploded in recent years. Daily users have approximately doubled since the summer of 2023. It’s become one of the top sources cited by AI chatbots. And organic search to the platform has skyrocketed (you may have noticed more Reddit results when you Google these days).

@forbes.com mgt, led by CEO Sherry Phillips and CCO Randall Lane, have proposed 1.25% annual bumps for staff, not even keeping up with inflation--when many in the newsroom go YEARS without a raise. #journalismjobs @nyguild.bsky.social

1/2 Amazing story from my colleague @pheebini.bsky.social about the CEO & founder of Surge AI, which is generating more revenue than any other AI company focused on data labeling (labeling = a crucial step in the process of training AI models). www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...

AI Founder Edwin Chen Shunned VC. Now He’s Worth $18 Billion

An alum of Google and Twitter, Edwin Chen built his data labeling company, Surge, in the shadows of the AI revolution. Now the 37-year-old wants to make his voice heard.

forbes.com

Jared Kushner has cofounded an AI startup, Brain Co, with VC Elad Gil and Luis Videgaray, the former Mexican foreign minister, to help corporates and government deploy AI www.forbes.com/sites/giacom...

Meet Jared Kushner’s New AI Startup, Brain Co

Kushner teamed up with prolific solo investor Elad Gil and Luis Videgaray, the former Mexican foreign minister, to launch Brain Co., which helps businesses and governments apply AI to their operations...

forbes.com

It's a great week for telecom billionaire Charles Ergen. His company EchoStar announced it would sell spectrum to AT&T. Its stock soared and his wealth more than doubled. But the consequences for consumers are more complicated. (1/3)

Daniella Pierson appears to embody success. She’s started four companies, one with Selena Gomez. She shows off a luxurious lifestyle and celebrity friend network on social media. Forbes even called Pierson one of the richest women of color in the U.S. in 2022, pegging her net worth at $220m. (1/4)

1/ Billionaire Steve Sarowitz’s Wayfarer Foundation had been financing 200+ nonprofits with around $100 million until its sudden shutdown in early May. The closure occurred amid his high-profile legal battle with actress Blake Lively, who’s sued him and his partner Justin Baldoni.

👀 "How The Ultra-Wealthy Are Protecting Themselves Against Arson Attacks, Kidnapping And Worse" @mhunterhart.bsky.social for @forbes.com

Billionaires And CEOs Are Seeking Personal Security At Record Rates

As resentment of the rich and powerful grows, the ultra wealthy are using everything from secret trackers to security squads to protect themselves and their families.

forbes.com

1/ Billionaires are more concerned than ever about their safety. Resentment toward the rich and powerful was already increasing amid wealth inequality, overseas wars, and hyper-polarized politics. Then came the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting and a string of other incidents.

Fantastic profile by @mhunterhart.bsky.social of Florida homebuilder Pat Neal and how he's preparing his firm--focused on the middle-class--for higher tariffs and still-high interest rates:

Monica Hunter-Hart@mhunterhart.bsky.social · last yr.

1/ Many experts believe homebuilders are about to experience their worst year since the Great Recession. The axe is already coming down hard in Florida. “Florida’s always been the precursor for what’s going to happen with real estate in this country,” says analyst Jack McCabe.

1/ Many experts believe homebuilders are about to experience their worst year since the Great Recession. The axe is already coming down hard in Florida. “Florida’s always been the precursor for what’s going to happen with real estate in this country,” says analyst Jack McCabe.

1/ Today we launched the 2025 @forbes.com World's Billionaires List, one of the largest investigative business journalism projects with 100+ reporters around the world. We found a record 3,028 billionaires in 78 countries worth a collective $16.1 trillion. t.co/zRCbJBbHwb

“The logistics business is like marriage,” says entrepreneur Eric Hémar. Why? That turns out to be a billion-dollar question — which helped Hémar grow his business into France’s leading logistics company: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Why Tariffs Could Help This French Logistics Billionaire's Business

Eric Hémar built a $1.3 billion fortune through an early bet on contract logistics. Now his company could gain more business from tariffs and economic turmoil.

forbes.com

The L.A. wildfires decimated Malibu’s elite Carbon Beach last month. But one house, aptly nicknamed “The Fortress,” went up against the flames and survived. Here’s why—and what it indicates about how Los Angeles should rebuild: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Inside This Billionaire’s “Fortress” Home That Withstood The L.A. Wildfires

Billionaires like Larry Ellison and the Pacers’ Herb Simon lost homes on Malibu’s swank Carbon Beach. Not this U.K. billionaire. Here’s why.

forbes.com

NEW from me and @giacomotognini.bsky.social: Trump’s tariff threats are stalling his son-in-law’s planned investment in Mexico: www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

Jared Kushner’s Mexico Investment On Hold Due To Trump’s Tariff Threats

Kushner’s investment in a Mexican infrastructure company has been in the works for 20 months. Now, thanks to Trump's proposed tariffs, he’ll have to wait even longer.

forbes.com