Whenever I get a new job, the first thing I do is call my dad. And the first thing he asked me was: How much do they pay you? The man’s obsession with dollars and cents is lore in the Drummond family. But the zealous interest in the size of my salary for a very good reason: Money opens the world, after all, whether you have it or not. So, Mr. Drummond figure, you might as well try to make as much as you can. I inherited pathologies aside, WIRED’s interest in money is as obvious as it is enormous: We cover the awash industry in the trillions of dollars, and the industry that just happens to shape everything about the way we all live. But who has the money? How do they use it? And what does that mean for the rest of us? To find out, we sent some of WIRED’s money-eyed reporters to far-flung locales: From the United Arab Emirates to Denmark to Washington, DC, to haunted Florida, we spread far and wide to bring you some unique WIRED stories documenting wealth and power. across the planet. Finally, a group of editors sat down to assess our lineup. And we noticed something, when we flicked through the concepts and infographics. Wherever in the world we send our reporters, which corner of the tech landscape are we in, which has all that money? man. All of them. Per. Single. one. Bill Gates, who sat down with Steven Levy to talk about his new memoir (stay tuned), has enjoyed 19 of the last 30 years at the top of the list of the world’s richest people. Of the 30-odd crypto investors in Trump’s inner circle, they’re all—wait for it—guys. Even the young men hustling door-to-door in the Sunshine State, shilling solar panels in a desperate bid to become millionaires by 30, are, well, men. So I was the first to show it: There is more testosterone in this issue than the last decade People’s Sexiest Man Alive combined edition. In part, this is the reality of the situation: 87 percent of the world’s billionaires are men, and women continue to be outnumbered in executive positions in the technology industry. No one even begins to account for the various races, which paints an even bleaker picture. And this is likely to continue, as tech giants like Meta and Google chip away at DEI’s investments. Meanwhile, the online manosphere-newly emboldened by President Trump and his First Buddy Musk-continues to metastasize in scope and influence. But I will also take ownership. At WIRED, it was our failure in editorial foresight and imagination to see the obvious — the clear and persistent masculinity, page after page — only at the last minute. To not have, before our assignment process, decided to interrogate the fraught and fractured gender dynamics of the accumulation of wealth, corporate influence, power. All that remains, infuriatingly, belongs almost exclusively to men with penises, with boardroom-commanding baritones, and with century-long head start. Do not get me wrong: You will enjoy this issue, both in print and online. I hope you learned a thing or two about how the big bucks in technology are raised and spent, and the people who raise and spend them. But from one woman in the charge for all the men out there, including those featured on our page: It can be a rich man’s world for now, but trust me, women like money too. And we will take some from you. Let us know what you think about this article. Send letters to the editor at mail@wired.com.
The rich rule the world
