After graduation, Palihapitiya traded derivatives at BMO Nesbitt Burns and then moved to California to join Winamp.[11] When AOL acquired Winamp he became the company's youngest vice president and led its instant messaging division in 2004.[12][13] He later spent a short period at Mayfield Fund before joining Facebook in 2007.[12]
2007–2011: Facebook
Palihapitiya in 2007 speaking at a Facebook event
At Facebook, Palihapitiya led the rollout of Facebook Beacon, an advertising system that faced lawsuits and was ultimately discontinued. He subsequently headed the company's growth efforts, and Facebook reported reaching one billion users within four years.[14][15] He also led the Facebook Phone and Facebook Home initiatives before leaving the company in 2011.[16][17]
Steven Levy wrote in Facebook: The Inside Story that Palihapitiya was regarded as a "bully" at Facebook,[18] and that his subordinates often cried as a result of his bullying.[19]
Investment career
Palihapitiya speaking at Graphing Social Patterns conference in San Jose
Palihapitiya and his then-wife Brigette Lau founded Social Capital in 2011 after he left Facebook.[20] The partnership invested in enterprise software and financial technology startups including Yammer, SecondMarket, Slack, Swarm, Groq, and Box.[21][22][23] By 2015 Social Capital reported managing more than $1.1 billion in capital.[24][25][26]
In 2018, Social Capital underwent significant changes, transitioning from a multi-LP venture capital fund to a family office structure, expanding its investment focus beyond traditional venture capital to include public equities, cryptocurrencies, biotech, space technology, climate solutions, and artificial intelligence.[27][28][29][30]
In June 2025, Palihapitiya published his 2024 annual letter as CEO of Social Capital, reflecting on major economic and technological shifts. Social Capital now manages $2.147 billion from $1.4 billion in paid-in capital. Chamath highlighted the Federal Reserve's diminishing influence over markets despite rate cuts, as long-term yields remained elevated due to concerns about U.S. fiscal policy and reduced demand for Treasury bonds. Palihapitiya emphasized 2024 as a pivotal year for AI, with venture investment reaching $150 billion and China achieving parity with the U.S. in foundational AI models. Palihapitiya characterized this as America's "Sputnik moment," warning that U.S. technological primacy could be at risk. Chamath also discussed the rise of new media and the creator economy, highlighting investments in companies like Groq (AI inference), Palmetto (clean energy), and Beast Industries (content creation).[31]
8090 venture
In January 2024, Palihapitiya announced a self-funded incubator called 8090 that promised to rebuild enterprise software with 80 percent of the original features for 90 percent less cost by combining artificial intelligence tooling with offshore engineering teams, pitching the effort as a way for customers to avoid high subscription fees.[32] In July 2025, he promoted an 8090 Solutions product called the Software Factory, stating that alpha testing would begin in August ahead of a planned 1 September 2025 launch and framing it as a more reliable alternative to corporate AI proof-of-concept projects that he said had disappointed executives.[33]
The SPACs drew heavy criticism as the share prices of several merged companies fell sharply in 2021 and 2022, leading to investor lawsuits and congressional scrutiny over misaligned incentives for retail shareholders.[38][39] Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. IV and VI ultimately redeemed their public shares and liquidated in September 2022 after failing to secure merger targets before their deadlines.[40][41]
In September 2025 Palihapitiya launched American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp. A, an NYSE-listed blank-check company that raised $345 million through a combination of its initial public offering and a private placement, with funds placed into a trust while it searches for a business combination.[42] The venture stated it intends to pursue acquisitions in energy production, artificial intelligence, decentralized finance and defense industries.[43]
Political positions and activities
While historically a Democratic Party donor,[44] contributing approximately $1.3 million over a decade,[45][46] his support had notably shifted towards the Republican Party by the early 2020s.[47]
Palihapitiya was listed as one of the "Founders" of the lobbying group FWD.us.[54] The group launched on 11 April 2013, and its goals include immigration reform, improving education, and enabling technological innovation, all in a United States context.[55][56] An article in The New Republic stated that Palihapitiya received a weekly report about FWD.us and also quoted him as saying, in response to controversy around the FWD.us political lobbying strategy: "The folks that are actually people that run that day to day are sophisticated and understand the nuances of how to affect it... It's a really gnarly, gnarly thing having to deal with Washington. And to be honest with you, my perspective was, it's a really good investment because it's a good way to pay it forward, and I'm really glad there are other people other than me who are dealing with it who have the patience and resolve to figure it out."[57]
San Francisco inequality and housing controversy
At Bloomberg's Next Big Thing conference in Sausalito, California, Palihapitiya made remarks critical of San Francisco's then mayor, Ed Lee, and proposed that the city provide subsidized housing to low-income residents funded by an equity tax on startups, with the tax-and-subsidy schemes potentially restricted to particular zones of the city. This led to a heated debate between Palihapitiya and super angelRon Conway.[58][59] Conway, a supporter of Lee, defended the city's policies, argued that things would get better for all residents, and noted that Palihapitiya lives in Palo Alto rather than in the city.[60][61] In a later clarification to TechCrunch, Palihapitiya outlined his vision in more detail and described how his views on inequality and social mobility were shaped by his experience growing up with poor immigrant parents in Canada.[59]
Social media
In 2017, Palihapitiya sparked discussion about social media's societal consequences, drawing from his experience at Facebook.[62] He argued that while social platforms could be "a force for good," their design created "dopamine-driven feedback loops" that could harm social discourse and behavior.[63][64] This perspective extends to his personal life, where he actively limits his children's screen time and social media exposure, emphasizing direct engagement over technological dependence.[65]
California gubernatorial campaign
In January 2021 media outlets including Axios and Politico reported that Palihapitiya was exploring a campaign to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom if a recall election succeeded.[66][67] On 25 January he stated that he would join the race and laid out a platform that included eliminating the state income tax, offering education vouchers, providing a two thousand dollar credit for every child born in California, and positioning the state as a hub for climate and technology jobs.[68] He also shared a campaign website created by a supporter.[69][70]
In February 2021, however, Palihapitiya declared he would not run for governor.[69][71]
Nobody cares about what's happening to the Uyghurs, okay. You bring it up because you care and I think it's nice that you care. The rest of us don't care. I'm just telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line.[72][73][74][75]
Palihapitiya said he and most Americans care more about domestic economic issues than the human rights abuses of China's Uyghur minority.[76] In response, the Golden State Warriors issued a statement saying that Palihapitiya "does not speak on behalf of our franchise, and his views certainly don't reflect those of our organization."[73][77] Palihapitiya later apologized for these comments in a tweet, stating that he recognized he came across as "lacking empathy" and that "To be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere. Full stop."[77][74]
Investments and philanthropy
In 2010, Palihapitiya acquired a 10% stake in the Golden State Warriors.[78] he sold his stake in the team in June 2023.[79][80][78] Palihapitiya has donated consistently to his alma mater, the University of Waterloo, including a $25 million donation to the engineering department in 2018.[81] In 2021, he pledged to donate $7 million to provide clean drinking water to 1,000 families in California's Central Valley through hydropanels technology.[82]
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