It was December 16, 2024 when Scott Kupor, the former managing partner at venture capital juggernaut Andreessen Horowitz , arrived at Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, for his interview for a director role in the White House.

Kupor—who had been introduced to transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick via his longtime venture capital bosses, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz—arrived at Trump’s Palm Beach estate just as the infamous billionaire Japanese investor Masayoshi Son was wrapping up a press conference with Trump, where Son pledged to pour $100 billion into the American economy.

Kupor sat through the briefing, then snapped a photo of Son—whom he had never met before—as Son posed in front of the lectern. In an interview with Fortune in Augus

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