Over the past few years, a powerful new form of elite influence has taken shape behind closed digital doors: private group chats on encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp.
These invite-only spaces are where tech billionaires, media influencers, and political strategists trade ideas, debate hot topics, and quietly shape public narratives.
What might seem like casual chat threads among peers has become something far more significant — a new engine of consensus-building and ideological coordination at the highest levels of power.
“It’s the same thing happening on both sides, and I’ve been amazed at how much this is coordinating our reality,” said writer Thomas Chatterton Williams, who briefly participated in one such chat with Marc Andreessen.
Andreessen himself has credited these chats with “shaping the national vibe shift,” and praised the role of tech founder and investor Erik Torenberg, saying, “Some day, the full story of group chats will be written, and Erik will have played a valuable role in facilitating the vibe shift.”
Torenberg, known for creating Product Hunt, On Deck, and the podcast network Turpentine, has been a key architect of this behind-the-scenes network.
Pandemic-Era Beginnings
It all began in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As public discourse became increasingly polarized, many Silicon Valley figures started forming private chats to discuss everything from lockdowns to ideology.
What started as a venting spaces quickly turned into something bigger.
These chats became places where elite opinions were tested, sharpened and then pushed into the public through Substack, X, and podcasts.
Marc Andreessen’s Central Role
A16z co-founder Marc Andreessen has been central to this evolution.
“Group chats are now where everything important and interesting happens,” Substack writer Noah Smith recently said.
Andreessen, often described as a “nuclear reactor” in these chats, moves between dozens of conversations daily.
One participant said, “My impression is Marc spends half his life on 100 of these at the same time.”
Ideological Battles in Real Time
Former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan, another key player, once sparred with Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale over China’s rise.
Lonsdale shot back, “This is insane CCP thinking.” These weren’t just arguments; they were part of a new kind of elite coordination.
Writer Thomas Chatterton Williams said, “If you weren’t in the business at all, you’d think everyone was arriving at conclusions independently — and [they’re] not. It’s a small group of people who talk to each other.”
Enter Erik Torenberg
Perhaps no one has leaned into this format more than Erik Torenberg, a serial tech founder and investor.
Known for creating Product Hunt, On Deck, and Turpentine, Torenberg launched dozens of WhatsApp and Signal groups across topics like engineering, politics and AI.
In April 2025, Andreessen announced Torenberg was joining a16z as a general partner, citing his “positive-sum nature,” strong network instincts, and ability to foster meaningful discussions.
Inside Chatham House
Torenberg also started Chatham House, one of the most active and influential Signal groups.
The name refers to the British rule of off-the-record conversations, and that’s exactly what the group tries to preserve.
Members include Democratic analyst David Shor, economist Larry Summers, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, and investor David Sacks.
Mark Cuban is frequently at the center of the group’s debates.
By mid-April 2025, David Sacks had enough.
“This group has become worthless since the loudest voices have TDS,” he wrote, using the acronym for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
He then urged Torenberg to “create a new one with just smart people.”
Soon after, Sacks, along with Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire, bitcoin billionaire Tyler Winklevoss, and broadcaster Tucker Carlson, left the group.
Ideological Breakdowns and Fallout
But this ecosystem of chats hasn’t been without friction. A failed attempt at cross-ideological unity, the “Everything Is Fine” chat, dissolved after a heated fallout over critical race theory.
Some participants, like conservative activist Chris Rufo, said these chats helped “radicalize tech elites” who were once hesitant to pick a side.
A Digital Underground Press
Andreessen likened these encrypted discussions to the Soviet-era underground press.
“The combination of encryption and disappearing messages really unleashed it,” he told podcaster Lex Fridman.
He credited the chats for driving a cultural “vibe shift” in the U.S.
Cracks in the Coalition
Yet even within this powerful network, cracks are forming.
Donald Trump’s latest policies, especially on tariffs, have divided participants.
Balaji Srinivasan, once aligned with the tech-right consensus, has been a vocal critic.
“Group chats have changed on the economy in the last few weeks,” Rufo admitted.
Elite Coordination, Public Consequences
These chats have largely avoided leaks due to disappearing messages and a general distrust of journalists. But their impact is visible.
“The left seems largely unaware that some of the smartest and most sophisticated Trump supporters in the nation… are part of an overlapping set of text chains,” political journalist Mark Halperin said.
What Happens Next?
Despite disagreements, many of these participants still share a common view: Public discourse is too constrained.
These private chats, they argue, offer a rare place for honest and sometimes politically incorrect conversation.
“If it wasn’t for the censorship, all of these conversations would have happened in public,” Andreessen said.
Whether you see them as a digital salon or as a shadow government of the rich and powerful, one thing is clear: the group chat era is here, and it’s not going anywhere.