At its best, journalism brings transparency and accountability to the actions of the powerful. Traditionally, most power is held by government officials and key industries. That is why we have media publications dedicated to covering the Supreme Court, Congress, Hollywood, and the energy sector.
But our media ecosystem does not reflect the reality of 2025. Today, an extraordinary amount of power is concentrated in just a handful of individuals, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, and Tim Cook.
Oligarch Watch is a new kind of outlet that reflects our present circumstances. It is an independent publication dedicated to holding the world's wealthiest individuals accountable.
The modern oligarchy
According to a new study, the 100 richest billionaires in the United States have a combined wealth of $3.86 trillion. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg alone account for about $1 trillion of that total. They are leveraging their immense wealth to influence politics, academia, and the media.
Oligarch Watch will provide original reporting and analysis about the modern oligarchy.
Why subscribe
Oligarch Watch will provide in-depth coverage on the handful of people who have accumulated unprecedented wealth and political influence.
On Tuesdays, Oligarch Watch will publish an in-depth report on a single topic. On Fridays, Oligarch Watch will round up the oligarchy’s recent activities, drawing from public sources and the best journalism from other outlets.
Oligarch Watch will be free for the next few months. Ultimately, however, its future will depend on whether people will support it. We believe this task cannot be left to media outlets owned by other billionaires. To back our efforts and ensure that Oligarch Watch sticks around, you can upgrade to a paid subscription now:
About Oligarch Watch
Oligarch Watch is edited by Judd Legum. In 2018, Legum founded Popular Information, a political newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism with over 400,000 subscribers. Since its founding, Popular Information has helped secure guaranteed sick leave for 170,000 restaurant workers, provided the basis for a federal lawsuit challenging book bans in Florida schools, and helped deliver justice for Mika Westwolf, a 22-year-old Indigenous woman killed in Montana. Popular Information won the 2020 Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Newsletters.
Oligarch Watch is written by Caleb Ecarma, a journalist based in Queens, New York. Originally from the Appalachian region of South Carolina, he has been covering national politics since 2016, previously writing for Vanity Fair, Mediaite, and USA Today.
Oligarch Watch is part of Popular Information LLC, which is owned by Judd Legum.
