A profile of Mike Solana, a Peter Thiel protégé whose Pirate Wires newsletter and podcast became popular among “anti-woke” tech figures since the “techlash”
I miss when people used to at least pretend they weren't terrible people instead of wearing it like a badge of honor. — https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... X: @mitchhorowitz : After 27 years in publishing, I remain in touch with just one old colleague and friend @micsolana @PirateWires, who's profiled by @jcbeam @TheAtlantic today. (And, of course, there's a little something about ESP in there, too.) https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Chris Beam / @jcbeam : Spent some time with Mike Solana, the Peter Thiel protégé whose work provides a glimpse into how some of Silicon Valley's most powerful people think: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Gilad Edelman / @giladedelman : There are a lot of funny moments in this @jcbeam profile of @micsolana, but my favorite is this rigorous intellectual exchange between Solana and Ben Smith @semaforben https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... [image] Shaun Maguire / @shaunmmaguire : Pirate Wires doing real journalism While The Atlantic and NYT publish “Trump is Nazi” propaganda pieces Adrienne LaFrance / @adriennelaf : A great profile of Mike Solana, the hilarious and pugnacious mind behind Pirate Wires, the latest anti-media media startup for VCs and VC wannabes: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
Pirate Wires sits in a longer rupture between prominent Silicon Valley voices and journalists critical of the industry, documented in the earlier conflict over tech criticism and media coverage.
The outlet’s rise also follows investors’ move to build their own publishing channels, including Andreessen Horowitz’s planned opinion section. Solana’s Thiel connection places the publication within an influential tech-network media ecosystem rather than a conventional newsroom.
First-order effects
- The profile gives Pirate Wires and Mike Solana greater visibility as a media outlet and personality serving “anti-woke” tech figures.
- It further associates Pirate Wires’ editorial identity with Peter Thiel’s network, making that affiliation more salient to readers, guests, and potential critics.
Second-order effects
- Tech investors and founders seeking a sympathetic venue have another visible example of audience-building outside established industry press, increasing pressure on traditional outlets’ access and narrative control.
- The attention may sharpen the existing divide between tech figures who see mainstream coverage as hostile and reporters covering their influence, echoing the public battle between investors and tech journalists.
Third-order effects
- If founder- and investor-adjacent outlets continue to gain audience, tech commentary may become more politically segmented, with distribution and network affiliation carrying more weight alongside reporting.
- The durable shift is toward technology power centers operating communications channels of their own; whether these outlets displace general-interest coverage depends on their ability to sustain audiences beyond aligned communities.
The trend: Tech elites are increasingly cultivating aligned media platforms as a response to the techlash and distrust of mainstream industry coverage.