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Founders Fund launches game show starring Sam Altman, Palmer Luckey, and other tech elites

Published

5 months ago

June 5, 2026

Have you ever had the desire to see Sam Altman and Palmer Luckey square off over a moderately suspenseful card game? If so, you are in luck.

Silicon Valley’s leaders are rushing to embrace the power of media for the purposes of marketing and political capital. Now, in a sign of the times, Founders Fund, the venture capital firm co-founded by Peter Thiel, has launched its own game show.

“MAFIA the GAME,” will apparently be an ongoing thing, where prominent tech luminaries get together and face off over a game of cards (the show is named after the party-game favorite).

The spectacle is moderated by Pirate Wires editor Mike Solana (who is also the chief marketing officer at Founders Fund). The debut episode includes a who’s who of players — Sam Altman; Palmer Luckey; Bryan Johnson, the famed biohacker who will (according to him) live forever; and Moxie Marlinspike, the founder of encrypted chat app Signal.

“I’m so f*cking bored with VC content,” Solana told Newcomer, which originally reported the show’s existence. “There has to be a more interesting way to get to know someone, and I think that this is a way more interesting way to get to know someone.”

TechCrunch reached out to Founders Fund for more information on the program.

In many ways, having a reality-TV-esque platform is just good business these days. The internet has turned the world into a population of chronic media consumers, and the average American spends around 2.5 hours on social media per day. Much of that time is spent scrolling through an endless flood of advertising-laced memes and videos.

In the modern era, the road to power and influence is paved with infotainment.

Companies and executives have sought to take advantage of this new reality in different ways. OpenAI recently raised some eyebrows when it procured TBPN, the buzzy founder-led podcast. Meanwhile, a number of tech’s most prominent players have leveraged virality to their advantage. Johnson, for instance, has managed to grow his following through a very active (and quite bizarre) social media presence. Elon Musk, meanwhile, has also managed to leverage his public persona to go viral (although arguments could be made that his online presence has sometimes hurt rather than helped his businesses).

This trend has also spread to the startup space, where people like Cluely CEO Chungin “Roy” Lee have demonstrated the power of being a one-man viral hype machine.

Related Topics:Altman elites founders fund game launches Luckey Palmer Sam Show starring tech

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Kwankwaso demands independent probe into suspected AI photos in INEC voter register

Published

2 hours ago

October 28, 2026

PlateauReports

The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has demanded an independent investigation into suspected AI-generated photographs and questionable records in the preliminary voter register released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Kwankwaso questioned how the suspicious images entered the register and whether the identities linked to the records were properly verified.

In a statement shared on X, Kwankwaso said INEC’s decision to investigate the matter was welcome but insisted that the probe must be transparent and conducted independently of the commission.

“The investigation must be thorough, transparent and independent,” he said, demanding that the findings be made public and anyone found culpable be held accountable under the law.

He also called for an independent audit of the preliminary register, including checks for questionable entries, duplicate records and artificial identities.

Kwankwaso demands independent probe into suspected AI photos in INEC voter register

News

From Producing Nigerian Internationals to Building Their Own Stadium: Buruj Sports Academy Takes Bold Step as Ikorodu Football Dream Attracts Investors

Published

5 hours ago

October 28, 2026

PlateauReports

Buruj Sports Academy is turning years of grassroots football success into an ambitious infrastructure project, unveiling a proposed stadium development in Ikorodu, Lagos State, aimed at transforming opportunities for young Nigerian footballers.

The academy, founded by Dr. Waheed Salaudeen, has presented a new development layout featuring a standard 105m × 68m football pitch, spectator stand, changing rooms, administrative and first-aid facilities, toilets, parking spaces and perimeter security.

The project represents a significant step toward establishing a permanent home for the academy’s growing football development programme.

Buruj’s ambitions are backed by its record of nurturing promising talents, including former Nigeria Under-15 internationals Raheem Moyinoluwa Salaudeen and Fawas Ayomide Adeleke, who represented Nigeria in youth competitions in Morocco and Algeria.

The academy has also facilitated opportunities for players in Spain and Lithuania, while six Buruj youngsters recently earned selection for an international football exposure programme following the Italian Consulate General U-20 Tournament.

Unlike its earlier three-acre, 5,000-seat stadium concept, the latest architectural proposal adopts a more practical, phased approach, beginning with an approximately 80–100-seat stand and essential football facilities. Punch Newspapers +1

Dr. Salaudeen, who serves as founder and Chief Executive Officer, has consistently championed football development alongside education.

“This dream is bigger than Buruj Sports Academy alone. We are appealing to private individuals, corporate organizations, investors, and well-meaning Nigerians to support this vision.”

His appeal reflects a determination to build a sustainable sporting institution capable of serving generations of young Nigerians. Sports247 Nigeria +1

For potential investors, the project offers opportunities in stadium naming rights, facility sponsorship, youth development partnerships, football tournaments and community sports programmes.

With a survey document and proposed layout now presented, Buruj is inviting partners to help turn its vision into reality, subject to necessary technical assessments and development approvals.

From discovering football stars to building the infrastructure that produces them, Buruj Sports Academy is no longer simply dreaming of the future — it is preparing to build it.