The Profile: The DOGE coder who followed Elon Musk to D.C. & the anti-capitalist festival burning through cash

This edition of The Profile features Jennifer Witz, Luke Farritor, Sandra Oh, and more.

Good morning, friends!

Many of you know that my roots are in business journalism at FORTUNE magazine, where I covered startups, venture capital, and private equity. For several years, I also wrote the daily dealmaking newsletter, Term Sheet.

In 2019, I sent out an edition with the headline: “Who Would Dare to Compete With Silicon Valley Darling Brex?”

The story was about a little-known fintech startup called Ramp Financial, which had just raised $7 million at a $25 million pre-money valuation. Naturally, I compared it to its biggest rival, Brex, which at the time was valued at $2.6 billion and flush with hundreds of millions in funding. Below is the post:

Fast-forward to last week: Ramp announced a $500 million fundraise at a staggering $22.5 billion valuation, with $700 million in annualized revenue. So, yeah … not bad. (For context, Brex was last valued at $12.3 billion in 2022.)

One of the wildest parts of writing online for so many years is getting to revisit old takes — good, bad, or somewhere in between — and see how things actually turned out.

Which brings this full circle: I recently interviewed Ramp’s CEO Eric Glyman while working on a longform profile of a professional athlete who invested in the company long before it hit a $22.5 billion valuation.

That story will be out in the next few weeks, and premium subscribers will get it first. If you’re not one yet and want early access, you can upgrade your subscription here:

PROFILES.

— The CEO reshaping SiriusXM [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The DOGE coder who followed Elon Musk to D.C
— The actress embracing middle age
— The anti-capitalist festival burning through cash
— The world’s largest zipper manufacturer

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The CEO reshaping SiriusXM: SiriusXM, once a futuristic radio disruptor, is now fighting to stay relevant in a world dominated by Spotify, Apple, and algorithm-driven audio. Under CEO Jennifer Witz, the company is doubling down on its car-based roots while betting big on podcasting stars like Ashley Flowers and Alex Cooper to attract younger listeners. But satellite’s lack of data and its aging subscriber base are major hurdles, and with subscription fatigue rising, SiriusXM is introducing a cheaper, ad-supported tier. Witz’s challenge is clear: make a legacy tech company feel like the future of audio again. (FORTUNE)

“It’s not just about attracting users, it’s about keeping them.”

The DOGE coder who followed Elon Musk to D.C: Luke Farritor went from a homeschooled coder in Nebraska to a Thiel Fellow, AI prizewinner, and government insider, all before age 24. He gained fame for decoding ancient scrolls, but drew controversy after joining Elon Musk’s government unit, DOGE, aimed at slashing federal spending. Farritor has become polarizing — hailed as a patriot by some, called a traitor by others. His meteoric rise reveals the volatile mix of youthful ambition, Silicon Valley ideology, and raw political power. (Polina’s Note: This profile carries a noticeable slant/bias, but I still decided to include it because some parts were interesting.) (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“He thought that Musk was the closest thing to Iron Man. He loved that Musk was pushing the envelope in all these ways.”

The actress embracing middle age: Sandra Oh is entering what she calls the “rich middle” of life — a phase marked by reflection, ownership, and artistic clarity. In a rare public reading of her decades of journals, she revisits moments of joy, pain, and resilience, from battling discrimination in Hollywood to her emotional final day on Grey’s Anatomy. At 53, Oh is focused on life’s meaning and figuring out exactly who she’s becoming. (The New York Times; alternate link)

“When you realize that it is not up to anyone else to free you, it’s up to yourself.”

COMPANIES TO SEE.

The anti-capitalist festival burning through cash: Burning Man, the anti-commercial desert utopia built on radical self-reliance and community, is facing a financial reckoning. Ticket sales are down, costs are up, and the nonprofit behind the event is scrambling to close a $20 million deficit without betraying its anti-capitalist values. While ultra-wealthy Burners like Elon Musk and Sergey Brin could easily bail it out, the organization resists commodifying its brand or monetizing its massive global following. Now, as regional spin-off events gain momentum and younger generations question the cost, Burning Man’s leaders must evolve or risk watching their vision burn out. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“Everything is now at risk.”

The world’s largest zipper manufacturer: YKK, the world’s top zipper maker, is facing a major stress test as sweeping tariffs under Trump’s second term threaten to disrupt the global supply chains it quietly powers. Known for holding together everything from jeans to car seats, YKK has long adapted through innovation and global reach, but executives now warn that rising trade instability could choke investment and cripple manufacturing. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“Everybody’s talking about tariffs, but all that is just moving around the different cones from one place to another place.”

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