The Profile: The mothers of Elon Musk’s kids & the women who think the world needs more babies

This edition features Mary Barra, Ashley St. Clair, Bo Hines, and others.

Good morning, friends!

There’s a big shift that’s been happening in media for a while now — and it’s something I’m personally living through. A growing number of journalists are leaving traditional outlets behind to build their own platforms, connect directly with their audiences, and turn niche expertise into thriving businesses.

At a recent event hosted by venture firm M13, I joined other media founders like Alex Konrad, Eric Newcomer, and Zack Guzmán to talk about what’s fueling this movement. One thing is clear: As trust in media declines and AI shakes up how information spreads, people aren’t looking to faceless brands for their information — they’re seeking real, human voices they can trust.

Independent journalists are leaning into that by building hyper-engaged communities, hosting live events, and experimenting with new ways to deepen their relationships with readers. It’s an exciting time to be building in public.

You can check out some takeaways from the event in Axios Communicators here.

Since it’s been 5 years since I left my full-time job at FORTUNE to pursue working on The Profile full time, I will resurface some lessons I learned in those early days below:

I quit my job at the start of the pandemic to launch a company. Here’s what I’ve learned in the first 90 days.

— Polina

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PROFILES.

— The CEO betting GM’s future on electric cars [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The mothers of Elon Musk’s kids
— The White House cryptocurrency strategist
— The women who think the world needs more babies
— The federal agency that played a role in the opioid crisis

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The CEO betting GM’s future on electric cars: Mary Barra is betting GM’s future on batteries, and she’s building a 24/7 EV empire to prove it. With mega-factories churning out more cells than Tesla, GM is racing to bring electric cars to the masses, even as tariffs and EV skepticism threaten to stall progress. Barra is slashing battery costs, reviving the Chevy Bolt, and converting skeptics like Tesla’s former battery guru, all while navigating the political landmines of a divided America. The stakes are sky-high: GM loses money on every EV it sells, but Barra’s all-in gamble could redefine the automaker for a post-gas world. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“GM has invested so much in EVs and batteries. They’d be foolish to walk away.”

The mothers of Elon Musk’s kids: Elon Musk, now a key player in Trump’s government, has quietly fathered at least 14 children (and possibly more) while using NDAs, massive payouts, and a fixer to keep the arrangements secret. His latest paternity battle with right-wing influencer Ashley St. Clair reveals how Musk offered $15 million and $100,000/month to maintain silence about their child, Romulus — until she went public. Musk, who calls his kids a “legion” and sees reproduction as a mission to save civilization, has even suggested using surrogates to speed things up. Now a court-ordered DNA test confirms what Musk initially denied: he is, in fact, the father. (Wall Street Journal; alternate link)

“To reach legion-level before the apocalypse, we will need to use surrogates.”

The White House cryptocurrency strategist: Meet Bo Hines, the 29-year-old ex-football player and congressional candidate who’s suddenly become Trump’s point man on crypto — fielding meetings with billionaires, lobbyists, and crypto CEOs from his desk next to the White House. Tapped to lead a sweeping pro-crypto agenda, Hines is helping undo Biden-era crackdowns and push new legislation, including a federal Bitcoin reserve. Though green in crypto, Hines has quickly become the industry’s main Washington gatekeeper, with insiders calling him “the first touchpoint with the White House.” (FORTUNE)

“The president’s very adamant about delivering his promises to the industry.”

The women who think the world needs more babies: At the Natal Conference in Austin, a mix of conservatives, technologists, and culture warriors gathered to tackle America's falling birthrate. The event mixed earnest calls to celebrate motherhood with uncomfortable alliances to far-right figures, exposing tensions in the growing "pronatalist" movement. Women attending said motherhood needs a rebrand, but many were wary of the extremist undertones. As one attendee put it, "Without women, there is no future" — but convincing them may prove harder than they thought. (The New York Times; alternate link)

“We’re going to fix the birthrate decline in this room.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The federal agency that played a role in the opioid crisis: The FDA helped ignite the opioid crisis by bending its own rules. Drugmakers like Purdue pushed addictive painkillers with weak science — and the FDA let it happen. Officials approved powerful opioids for chronic pain without proper studies, then looked the other way as overdose deaths exploded. Now, decades and 800,000 deaths later, the agency still hasn’t fixed its mistakes. (Bloomberg; alternate link)

“Purdue was saying, ‘Come on, it’s just morphine.’ We were all just thinking, ‘This is not the way business is done.’”

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