The Godfather’s field guide · San Francisco
Tech-Mafia
The networks shaping the future.
A company can launch a product. A powerful network can launch an era.
When ambitious people build something difficult together, the relationships often outlast the business itself. Former colleagues become cofounders, investors, mentors and the first call when a new idea needs talent or capital. Trust compounds. Introductions open doors. Experience travels.
Silicon Valley calls some of these circles “tech mafias”: founder and alumni networks whose influence reaches far beyond their original companies. Their ventures help shape how we pay, connect, move, generate energy and make institutional decisions. The same connections that accelerate innovation can also concentrate opportunity and influence, making openness and accountability part of the story.
In the spirit of Godfather Night, meet five celebrated syndicates and the people behind them. The lasting lesson for business and society: the future is shaped by what we build together, and by who gets invited into the room.
The original founder network
PayPal Mafia
Payments, venture capital & the internet economy
The best-known tech mafia grew out of PayPal’s early team. Shared experience building online payments became a foundation for new companies, early investments and introductions across Silicon Valley. Its influence reaches from consumer finance to space exploration.
The featured Godfather
Peter Thiel
PayPal cofounder and former CEO; Palantir cofounder and Founders Fund partner. Often described as the PayPal Mafia’s ‘don,’ he connects this original circle to several generations of founders.
Founder backgroundFive notable names in the network
Elon Musk
Founded X.com, which merged with Confinity to become PayPal.
SpaceX founder and Tesla leader, linking the network to rockets, satellites and electric vehicles.
Read the background on Elon MuskMax Levchin
PayPal cofounder and former CTO.
Founded Affirm, bringing installment payments into online commerce.
Read the background on Max LevchinReid Hoffman
Former PayPal executive.
Cofounded LinkedIn and became an influential technology investor.
Read the background on Reid HoffmanDavid Sacks
PayPal’s early product leader and COO.
Founded Yammer and cofounded Craft Ventures, investing in enterprise software.
Read the background on David SacksRoelof Botha
Former PayPal CFO.
Built a venture investing career at Sequoia, backing companies including YouTube, Instagram and Square.
Read the background on Roelof Botha
From complex problems to founder ambition
Palantir Mafia
Data, defense technology & institutional software
Palantir’s founders and alumni connect deep technical work with the needs of governments and large organizations. The network extends into investing, financial software, defense technology and startup creation, carrying lessons from solving difficult problems in demanding environments.
The featured Godfather
Alex Karp
Palantir cofounder and CEO, featured here as the company’s defining operating founder. Cofounder Peter Thiel is another central figure, connecting the Palantir and PayPal circles.
Founder backgroundFive notable names in the network
Peter Thiel
Palantir cofounder.
Founders Fund and early technology investing; a bridge back to the PayPal Mafia.
Read the background on Peter ThielJoe Lonsdale
Palantir cofounder.
Founded 8VC and cofounded Addepar and OpenGov, spanning wealth management and government software.
Read the background on Joe LonsdaleGarry Tan
Early Palantir designer and engineering manager.
Cofounded Initialized Capital and Posterous; later became president and CEO of Y Combinator.
Read the background on Garry TanStephen Cohen
Palantir cofounder.
Helped build Palantir’s technology and serves as its president, representing the founding circle within the company.
Read the background on Stephen CohenBrian Schimpf
Former Palantir engineering leader.
Cofounded Anduril, developing autonomous systems and software for defense.
Read the background on Brian Schimpf
Building the physical future
Tesla Mafia
Electric vehicles, batteries & energy infrastructure
Tesla’s alumni network is especially visible in businesses that build physical products. Engineers and operators moved into battery materials, rival electric vehicles, autonomous driving and grid storage, spreading manufacturing knowledge well beyond a single car company.
The featured Godfather
Elon Musk
Tesla cofounder and its defining business leader, featured as this network’s Godfather. Tesla has multiple cofounders; JB Straubel is also a central technical figure in its alumni story.
Founder backgroundFive notable names in the network
JB Straubel
Tesla cofounder and longtime CTO.
Founded Redwood Materials to recycle batteries and produce materials for new ones.
Read the background on JB StraubelGene Berdichevsky
Tesla’s seventh employee and principal engineer on the Roadster battery.
Cofounded Sila, developing silicon anode materials for better lithium-ion batteries.
Read the background on Gene BerdichevskyPeter Rawlinson
Former VP of vehicle engineering and Model S chief engineer.
Led Lucid’s luxury EV development as CTO and later CEO; stepped down from those roles in 2025.
Read the background on Peter RawlinsonSterling Anderson
Led Tesla’s Model X program and Autopilot team.
Cofounded autonomous trucking company Aurora and joined General Motors as chief product officer in 2025.
Read the background on Sterling AndersonMateo Jaramillo
Helped build Tesla’s stationary energy storage business.
Cofounded Form Energy, developing iron-air batteries for long-duration grid storage.
Read the background on Mateo Jaramillo
The social network behind the startups
Facebook Mafia
Social platforms, collaboration & venture investing
Facebook’s early team learned how to build products used by vast communities. Its founder and alumni circle carried that experience into workplace software, knowledge sharing and venture capital, demonstrating how a social platform can become a training ground for the next generation of businesses.
The featured Godfather
Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook cofounder and Meta’s founder, chairman and CEO. His role building the original platform makes him the featured Godfather of this founder and alumni circle.
Founder backgroundFive notable names in the network
Dustin Moskovitz
Facebook cofounder, first CTO and VP of engineering.
Cofounded Asana, the work management software company.
Read the background on Dustin MoskovitzJustin Rosenstein
Former Facebook engineer and engineering manager.
Cofounded Asana with Moskovitz to help teams coordinate their work.
Read the background on Justin RosensteinAdam D’Angelo
Former Facebook CTO.
Cofounded Quora, whose knowledge-sharing platform later expanded into AI with Poe.
Read the background on Adam D’AngeloChamath Palihapitiya
Early Facebook executive who led growth initiatives.
Founded Social Capital and became a prominent technology investor.
Read the background on Chamath PalihapitiyaMatt Cohler
Early Facebook employee and product executive.
Became a Benchmark investor, backing companies including Instagram and Dropbox.
Read the background on Matt Cohler
Operators who learned to scale cities
Uber Mafia
Marketplaces, logistics & startup investing
Uber’s founders and alumni built experience launching marketplaces city by city, balancing supply and demand and operating across borders. That shared background became a network of startup builders and investors, with some explicitly creating funds to back their former colleagues.
The featured Godfather
Travis Kalanick
Uber cofounder and former CEO, later known for CloudKitchens. He is the featured Godfather here; fellow cofounder Garrett Camp conceived the original service and remains a central figure in the network.
Founder backgroundFive notable names in the network
Garrett Camp
Uber cofounder who conceived the original service.
Founded Expa, a startup studio that helps entrepreneurs build and launch companies.
Read the background on Garrett CampRyan Graves
Uber’s first employee, first CEO and later operations leader.
Founded Saltwater, investing in and building a family of businesses.
Read the background on Ryan GravesAndrew Chen
Led Uber’s rider growth teams.
Became an Andreessen Horowitz investor and wrote The Cold Start Problem about network effects.
Read the background on Andrew ChenJosh Mohrer
Launched and led Uber’s New York business.
Cofounded Moving Capital to invest in startups, including those built by Uber alumni.
Read the background on Josh MohrerWilliam Barnes
Led Uber’s West Coast operations.
Cofounded Moving Capital with Mohrer and helped organize Uber’s alumni investor network.
Read the background on William Barnes
Your next chapter starts with a connection
Build your own circle.
The most valuable network is one where people contribute, trust each other and make room for new talent. Join the SF Societies conversation at Godfather Night II, and celebrate the people bringing San Francisco together.
An editorial guide by SF Societies. Updated October 1, 2026. Names are a selection, not a ranking; linked biographies and reporting provide background.