The Hollowing: Part Deux

Yesterday I posted a piece on "societal permission" for TechGods to create an economy without working people.  Those pesky employees actually give feedback when their workplace turns into a sci-fi nightmare.

As part of Zuckerberg’s all-in AI push, Meta announced it would fire ten percent of its workforce, or nearly 8,000 employees, leaving many uncertain about their future. The company is also demanding that employees produce more than ever by using AI agents and coding tools as much as possible, with AI usage now a factor in performance reviews.

People can only take so much and the lopsided deal has gone on for far too long. 

Insatiable TechGods copied the private equity underwriter (PEU) playbook which pushes incapable technology as a replacement for headcount reduction.  PEUs have a long history of crapifying workplaces and decreasing product quality. 

Disabled people can wait to get their motorized wheelchairs fixed and water for AI should be prioritized over "baseline human comfort."

Of course Bezos is talking his own book.  If its water you want Jeff, there are oceans all around.  I'm sure you have a great view of it from your Miami penthouse.  

In West Texas you can have all the frac water you want.  Technology exists for desalination and detoxifying produced water from oil wells.  Apply that intelligence to Prometheus' cooling resources needs.

Better yet, Jeff, use that intelligence to stop Amazon related scams.  

Here's a sci-fi nightmare.  

A driverless car stalks a 76 year old woman.  It's onboard computer posts a scam AI video to the woman's facebook account.  It's an AI fake of Bill Gates pushing a dementia curing supplement based on honey from Turkey/Nepal.  The woman buys the product as she has experienced more confusion of late.  

The product arrives within its one hour promised delivery time.  No signature is required so the driver rings the doorbell and leave the package on the front doormat.  The driverless car monitors the woman's Ring camera as it waits for the woman to come to the door.  It revs the engine, drops into gear and floors the gas.  The woman sees the approaching vehicle and turns to run into her home.  

The driverless vehicle shifts into off-road mode which elevates the undercarriage clearance.  It climbs her two level brick stairs and slams into her the back of her legs.  Bricks shatter, the door frame collapses and the woman is pinned under the vehicle, which shifts out of off-road mode, increasing the weight on her chest.  Unable to breathe, she is dead within minutes.

That's one less person needing cooling resources for baseline human comfort, the new TechGod name for potable water.  

And these are the people elected officials cater to?  Sickening.

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their new TechGod brethren.  Increasingly, more are one.  

The Hollowing: TechGod's AI Warning

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated:   

"There is no societal permission for an AI future that hollows out entire industries."

This is fifteen years after a former major business reporter wrote:

There are very few people out there who will talk and write honestly about private equity. I know from personal experience that the financial press is so eager to break news on "deals" that reporters (who are increasingly compensated on the number of "market moving stories" they write) can't afford to be critical of Carlyle, KKR and Blackstone, and risk losing access to people at those firms.

I have seen so many people -- particularly those in their 50s - 70s -- taken apart by what has happened in their industry as greed has hollowed out the economy. These are people took pride in their jobs and held themselves to this invisible standard that we all just took for granted, but is being wiped out.

Private equity underwriters (PEU) were later joined by TechGods in leveraging political influence and tapping Uncle Sam's wallet.  

Together they are behind the data center boom that is impacting many of the very areas private equity previously hollowed out.  Below is one example:

The United States Army has conditionally selected Carlyle Group and CyrusOne to enter exclusive negotiations to develop and operate hyperscale data centers on Army installations, marking a significant step in expanding artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure capabilities. 

The projects will be located at Fort Bliss and Dugway Proving Ground, spanning approximately 1,384 acres and 1,201 acres, respectively. Under the arrangement, the selected firms will finance, build, operate, maintain, and eventually decommission the facilities on underutilized Army land, with no upfront cost to taxpayers.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is a former PEU with Flex Capital. 

The Carlyle Group is returning to a heavy focus on defense contractors calling the space "unlimited."  Carlyle cut its teeth flipping defense contractors and is ecstatic about the new global phenomenon of war making.

The Army poisoned thousands of sheep in Utah from a nerve gas test gone wrong at Dugway Proving Ground in 1968.  A nozzle failure was cited at the cause.  

Should nearby residents be concerned about error filled AI coming to Dugway?  How about Fort Bliss which not long ago closed the airspace over El Paso due to invading drones?  

No one gave permission for the PEU hollowing out of the U.S. economy, yet it happened anyway.  Part II is being facilitated by a hand's off Congress and an enabling Chief Executive.  Trump II recently said:

"The one that they're crazy about is AI. So if you want to say one thing, AI, and just hope that it works. You better hope!"

"Hope that it works,"  I believe we have Trump II's campaign slogan for 2028. 

Update:  "They beat their plowshares into swords and garbage AI turned their brains into mush, all so billionaires could become trillionaires."

Here endeth the lesson.

AI Defends Corporate Ownership Error

It's common for AI to put out inaccurate information and it did so once again regarding Humana's percentage ownership of Gentiva Hospice, which it is finally ditching.  

I asked Gemini why their AI  published the wrong percentage and it told me I was confusing Humana's 40% equity stake with Gentiva's operating in 35 states.  Who knew Gemini wrote comedy?  I did have a hearty laugh, albeit at Gemini's expense.

For over two years Humana's 10-K has clearly stated the company owned approximately 35% of Gentiva Hospice.  40% is a historical figure from their deal with TPG and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS).  It also was the original percentage when Humana sold 60% of Gentiva to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CDR) in August 2022. 

A Humana 10-K filing stated "at December 31, 2023 we owned approximately 35%."  That 35% has remained constant for fiscal years ended December 2024 and 2025.

Gemini wrote that Humana's recent press release stated this 40% figure.  Google could not find that in the actual press release, which only state "minority interest."

AI cited Hospice News as its source.  Therein lies the problem.  That publication has been a longtime disappointment for hospice workers wanting some help in challenging greedy management.  

Private equity underwriters (PEU) found hospice long ago and have been playing an accumulation/spinoff/IPO game   I lived it at Gentiva after Humana et al bought Kindred at Home in June 2018.  It was highly distasteful, even cruel.  

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their TechGod brethren, who together bring us garbage AI, hyperscale data centers and an inattention to actual feedback.  The little people are supposed to take what they give us.  

Therefore, I must apologize to Gemini for mixing up the 40% ownership number from 2022 with the number of states Gentiva operates within.  I promise to forget the more up to date information in Humana's SEC filings.  Now, doesn't everyone feel better in our new irreality?    

This situation is not a runaway Waymo vehicle or targeting a girl's school on day 1 of Trump II's disastrous war with Iran, but it does not lead me to use AI again.  And for that I am truly grateful.

Jared Kushner to Disrupt Pink Flamingos

Jared Kushner's Albanian luxury resort, located in the middle of a wildlife refuge, has garnered public outrage amongst the common folk who are tired of corruption.  Kushner's development is under the Affinity Partners umbrella and specifically under the corporate entity:  Atlantic Incubation Partners.  

Atlantic Incubation Partners also drew the ire of the Serbian public for a planned project in Belgrade.

Closer to home Kushner's only SEC listing is for QXO, an Affinity Partners affiliate.  The building materials giant is an aggressive roll up of manufacturers and distributors.   

Their most recent proxy statements sheds light on the complexity of private equity underwriting (PEU) at Affinity Partners.  Jared controls 32 million shares in QXO and the footnote on page 24 states

Consists of (i) 12,111 RSUs that are expected to vest within 60 days of the Record Date and (ii) Mr. Kushner’s indirect beneficial ownership of 32,686,065 shares of our common stock, which is comprised of (a) 14,523 shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Atlantic Partners Splitter LLC, an entity controlled by Mr. Kushner, (b) 16,247,069 shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Affinity Partners Parallel Fund I LP (“Parallel Fund I”), (c) 164,310 shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Affinity Partners Fund I LP (“Fund I”), and (d) 16,260,163 shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Affinity QXO 1 LLC (“Affinity QXO”). Affinity QXO is owned by Fund I, Parallel Fund I, Affinity Partners Fund I Co-Invest Delta LP (“Delta”), Affinity Partners Fund I Co-Invest Delta II LP (“Delta II”), Affinity Partners Fund I Co-Invest Sigma LP (“Sigma”), and Affinity Partners Fund I Co-Invest Sigma II LP (“Sigma II”, and together with the other owners of Affinity QXO, the “Affinity Funds”). Affinity Partners GP LP (“GP”) is the General Partner of Fund I and Parallel Fund I, and Affinity Partners Fund I Co-Invest GP LP (“Co-Invest GP”) is the general partner of Delta, Delta II, Sigma and Sigma II. A Fin Management LLC (“A Fin”) is the investment manager of GP and the Affinity Funds. Mr. Kushner is the Chief Executive Officer of A Fin and the controlling owner of GP and Co-Invest GP. Mr. Kushner may be deemed to share voting and dispositive power over all such shares. Mr. Kushner disclaims beneficial ownership over all such shares.

PEUs expect affiliates to do business with other affiliates, regardless of quality or price.  So look for some new QXO rollup to provide construction products to Atlantic Incubation Partners, be it Serbia, Albania or elsewhere.  

Kushner, like Trump II, is birthing more $ billions, every second of every minute of every hour of every day.   It's a byproduct of insider connections and obscene levels of wealth.  Both need to be broken.

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their TechGod brethren.  Increasingly, more are one and for that the regular people and wildlife suffer, especially those dancing at the Pink Flamingo.  

May the Pink Flamingo revolution in Albania prevail.  

Note:  My apologies to the real Jared who held a fundraiser for testicular cancer at the Pink Flamingo.  

Trump II Ballroom Price Rises 200% in Less than a Year

Trump II's ballroom cost $200 million in July 2025 and the project was completely funded by private donors.  It's now $600 million with the U.S. taxpayer picking up $300 million.

Trump II can flat out spend money.  His signature project rose 200%.  How much is cost inflation vs. egotistical machinations?  

TechGods and private equity underwriters (PEU) hate paying taxes.  Apparently, they also have a limit on donations.  I expect someday they will prefer predictable taxation vs. regular fundraising phone calls from the White House for pet project after pet project.  

Remember folks, Trump II loves inflation!

PEU-TechGod Connections Go Back

In June 2014 I wrote:

Economic power buys political power, which then sets favorable rules and telegraphs money making opportunities for the already wealthy.

That year a secret group of private equity underwriters (PEU), TechGods, elected officials and members of the media attended Dialog, a tech focused Bilderberg Group like meeting put together by Peter Thiel.  It gathered 150 people to change the world. 

This information came from the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Lisa Randall sent her confidential invitation to Epstein for advice on attending, asking "Is this worthwhile?"

Epstein responded with "sundance is nice  ,,  go"

Randall replied "So let me understand.  You are suggesting tourism?"

The message made it clear the invitation was not transferrable and shared:

"the invite is only for Lisa Randall and is not transferable as we are limited to only 150 participants. There are no sponsors. We increase the retreat fee weekly to reward the people that sign up early. And this retreat is 100% off-the-record. /"

A second contact regarding the meeting came from Ian Osborne.  Ian forwarded his invitation from Auren Hoffman to Epstein with the following comment:

"Same shit.  Peter doesn't even attend.  I will tell him that they should stop them from using his name."

Ian got on the list per a recommendation from TechGod Chamath Palibapitiya. 

Epstein tried to work up dinners with Ian Osborne and Peter Thiel.  It's not clear if he sandwiched such an occasion in between meeting with Ehud Barak and Leon Black.  Very private, no agenda.

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their TechGod brethren.  Increasingly, more are one.  What was disturbing twelve years ago is systemic today.   

The Carlyle Group located in Washington, D.C. in 1987 because its founders understood the highly profitable connection to political power.  TechGods did likewise as Trump II ran for his second term.  

Dialog may now own D.C. area real estate to continue their "150 people changing the world"  meetings.  How does a secret society end up owning real estate big enough to host at least 150 people and conduct multiple breakout sessions?  It does so when those people are billionaires and aim to become trillionaires.

Update 6-18-26:  Forbes ran a story on the PEU/TechGod participants in Dialog.  Affinity Partners Jared Kushner is another Dialog insider.  They even used "like a Bilderberg meeting with a Silicon Valley twist."  

Has Forbes never seen Bilderberg's Steering Committee membership list?  It has long included Peter Thiel, Eric Schmidt and Alex Karp.  TechGods cut their teeth protecting global tamperers.  And now, they are one.

Bilderberg 2026 occurred in April in Washington, D.C.  The usual PEUs showed, Henry Kravis (KKR), Peter Orszag (Lazard) and Ali Koc (Koc Holdings)

Not everyone is enamored with the Bilderberg - Dialog insider plotting soirees.  Some have the courage to not go and call them out.

Dominari's SpaceX Fund: Open and Closed

The Trump Boys had another winning week.  Don Jr. and Eric each hold nearly 1.2 million shares in Dominari Holdings and serve on the firm's Advisory Board.

A Dominari press release detailed how the firm participated in the SpaceX stock rocket launch.

Dominari Securities LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dominari Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: DOMH), is pleased to announce the successful launch and closing of the American Ventures Opportunity QP Series IV – SpaceX Fund, (hereinafter, the "Fund"). 

The Fund successfully raised approximately $200,000,000.00 from qualified investors and deployed that capital to directly acquire 1,481,481 IPO shares of SpaceX at a price of $135.00 per share in what the Wall Street Journal called the smoothest IPO in recent history, as well as the largest IPO ever. Unlike many other banks that received little or no IPO share allocation, Dominari's allocation was significant, marking another milestone in the firm's private markets platform. 

In addition, Dominari and its affiliates had previously completed eight (8) pre-IPO investment rounds in both SpaceX and xAI, representing an aggregate investment of approximately $50,000,000.00, in addition to the approximate $200,000,000.00 raised in the IPO. The carried interest from these investments may eventually exceed $40,000,000.00 for Dominari and underscores the firm's ability to consistently source, structure, and execute differentiated private market opportunities.

Not only did Dominari have the gravitas to get in SpaceX when it was private, it garnered a significant allocation of the oversubscribed IPO.  

How many different ways will the boys profit from Dad's executive branch priorities?  Let someone please count the ways.