Title: War Bros Didn’t Always Rule Silicon Valley
URL Source: https://www.wired.com/story/war-bros-didnt-always-rule-silicon-valley/
Published Time: 2026-09-25T11:00:00.000-04:00
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[Steven Levy](https://www.wired.com/author/steven-levy/)
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Sep 25, 2026 11:00 AM
War Bros Didn’t Always Rule Silicon Valley
Some say that tech was always about the money and the military. Don’t buy that argument.

Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images
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Comments Save this story
In September 2015, the [Founders Fund](https://foundersfund.com/) hosted a retreat at an eco-resort in British Columbia. Most of the attendees were VCs and people from the companies the firm was backing, but they also invited a few outsiders, including computer pioneer [Alan Kay](https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/kay_3972189.cfm), writer Neal Stephenson, and me.
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