February 11, 2026
From Demo Day to democracy sway
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
Silicon Valley boss sparks 'do-not-vote' list jokes as fears of dark money explode
TLDR: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launched Garry’s List, a 501(c)(4) group that can spend anonymous money to influence California elections. Comments lit up with jokes about using it as a reverse voter guide, fears of AI-fueled astroturfing, and broad anger that wealthy tech leaders can buy political clout.
Silicon Valley lightning rod Garry Tan just dropped a political bomb: a new 501(c)(4) group called Garry’s List that he says will ‘educate voters’ across California. Translation the internet heard: a dark money vehicle where donors stay anonymous while the org can spend on candidates, ballot measures, voter guides, ads, and even training future politicians. The site’s blog came out swinging, blasting unions, slamming a San Francisco teachers’ strike, and denouncing a proposed billionaire tax. Mission Local has the receipts and the community has thoughts — lots of them here.
Commenters wasted no time turning it into a meme. One joked it’s basically a handy ‘do-not-vote’ cheat sheet. Another groaned they ‘hate to see tech leaders getting into politics.’ The spiciest camp says the site reads like ‘straight up AI slop,’ warning of an AI-fueled astroturfing era where slick ops shape elections. Others took a bigger swing at the system itself: ‘rich people have too much influence’ and ‘we need to get money out of politics,’ even if they agree with some of Tan’s policy vibes. A conspiracy-tinged thread predicted he’s gearing up to target Rep. Ro Khanna over wealth taxes. In short, Tan wanted parallel media; he just sparked a parallel internet fire. The vibes? Outrage, eye-rolls, and a lot of popcorn
Key Points
- •Garry Tan launched a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Garry’s List, to influence California politics via voter education and advocacy.
- •As a 501(c)(4), the group can spend directly on candidates and ballot measures and accept anonymous donor support for causes.
- •Planned activities include voter guides, events, advertising, and training programs for future elected officials.
- •Garry’s List also operates as a media effort, with blog posts criticizing public-sector unions, a teachers’ strike, and a proposed billionaire tax.
- •Tan frames the initiative as promoting innovation, economic growth, jobs, and affordability in California.