At what point do american shareholders get mad at the companies which are accessories to the unraveling of democracy. Sometimes I think a fair share of wealthy Americans (in the bottom 98%, I mean) are afraid to speak up because they are afraid of what may happen to THEIR investment portfolio. We have let money change everything. Shareholders first, citizen second.
15
I hope Donald Trump revokes Milner's visa, and sends him back to Russia where he belongs.
4
I close my account at Facebook months ago because of this, everyone should do the same.
8
Well this is awkward don't you think Mr. Milner? Outed and outing your investment and support of of Trump's trumpet platform Twitter at the same time. Is it time for a come down?
5
With each new development, one wonders what else is being overlooked. Has anyone checked if the Russians might be feeding prop-agit or cooperating with Fox News and/or Breitbart?
19
Wasn't it Marx who predicted that if Capitalism was given enough rope, it would hang itself?
9
From here, it's a rapid ride. All downhill.
5
How is this recent or new news!!??! The NYTimes reported on this investment before FB even went out for their IPO. It was Russia and Goldman Sachs that invested in FB as a 'private investor' under the SEC rules. It was suspect then, but no one stopped it. Why are we acting like this is new news? How come we care now, but not then?
12
I have met Yuri Milner through the Breakthrough Prize. My husband was a recipient. Now I'm hoping that Gazprom didn't help pay off our house!
But seriously, the Yuri Milner I know is a passionate advocate of scientific inquiry and of spreading the appreciation of science to the public. This is why he created the Breakthrough Awards ceremony, a glamorous gala event that celebrates scientists like celebrities. He's also promoting young scientists across the world and he's doing this in a very inclusive way.
Milner's push for global scientific advancement stands quite opposed to what we think of as the Trump-Russiagate axis of nationalistic anti-science ignorance operating inside of America.
This money from Russia doesn't bother me so much, since I trust the scientific intellectual values of the man who has been spending it.
7
Thanks for revealing this insidious web, full of nasty, hairy spiders. Milner looks like a Russian plant, laundering Kremlin funds at the highest level. I’d be willing to bet the Russians paid his tuition to Wharton, and groomed him for what was to come. Crony Capitalism seems to be the order of the day, and has supplanted “political” ideologies, which are also mostly about money these days. Science fiction authors used to project that multi-national businesses would rival or exceed nation states in power to control world events. We are getting there now. The Kochs and the Mercers want to control our society’s politics and beliefs too, so in some ways they are worse than purely mercenary Russian oligarchs.
17
This makes five of President Trump's gang who are also members of Putin's gang. Does anyone really want a president and a Republican controlled Congress that nominates, endorses and protects these guys?
14
The 9/11 hijackers did a great deal of infiltrating. The Ruskies, on the other hand, were thinking or are thinking more long-term. While the Suadia terroist learned aviation maneuvering, folks with Kremlin backing literally acquire western education and all the important disciplines that allow for an assimilation which includes big-time political finance contribution(s) among other things.
6
They play chess as well and are excellent at it..
5
This explains a lot. I'm sure many people are deleting accounts. I certainly am.
9
Over and over again, we see the problem. Donald Trump is simply the visible manifestation of the cancer that has infected democracy: Global corporate control of our public institutions through lobbying, secret campaign funding, and a maze of shady non-public dealings.
We can solve this. It must start with leaders funded and elected by "We the People," not "Them the Global Monopolies." True campaign finance reform, severe restrictions on lobbying, and making the ethics guidelines (being flouted by the current administration to an astonishing degree), strong laws leading to impeachable offenses would go a long, long ways to solving this.
As to Facebook, Google, and Twitter, they have become communication monopolies. People don't seem to realize that not only do they benefit from dubious foreign investment, but also dubious adherence to their usage policies. The unspoken truth is that these companies tacitly encouraged the creation of the many, many fake user accounts used to influence our election and boost Trump's every inflammatory posting. We need to pressure our lawmakers to enforce the monopoly laws in this case. We can still fix this. I'm writing every congressman and congresswoman again today.
It has to come from us because it'll never come from the corporations and special interests.
50
Facebook, and Twitter, have Russian investors!
2
The House of Romanov ended on the floor of a room with a single light bulb illuminating its cruel, cowardly, and brutal execution.
The Age of America is ending on the World Wide Web as the Russians slowly poison the American mind and psyche.
And, our President and his Administration smugly sit back lining their pockets and providing the illumination of that single light bulb.
16
Between the ethics of politics and that of business, there is little to choose.
Why do we require a Cheerios box to list ingredients but make no demands on the transparency of giant conglomerates that operate globally and contribute to politicians who grant them license?
8
Hard not to assume this is another example of an ongoing, concentrated effort to generate wealth for the despot-in-chief at the Kremlin, yes, but also yet another way to generate leverage within our society and economy. It seems clearer with every passing day that Putin has had a flat-out obsession with insinuating his influence into our society.
If you haven't figured it out by now let me just recap: as Mitt Romney asserted not that long ago, Russia has been and continues to be this country's greatest threat.
8
Investigative journalists are the heros of our era.
I would suggest we all donate (any amount) to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (linked in the article)—if we still value truth while the stealthy, dishonest 1% take over the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government. While many in the courts are still doing their job faithfully, I must include the Justice department because, at the highest level, Trump has put Jefferson Beauregard Sessions in as his lackey and Neil Gorsuch in the stolen seat. We don't have a true government. We have a bloodless coup d'état.
Journalists are our best hope for an honest, open, civil society.
13
Can we hear more about the 'Paradise Papers' please?
8
Does this put the floating of Zuckerberg's name as a presidential candidate in a new context and light?
11
Isn't it how globalisation is supposed to work? No borders for investments? No borders for money movement? I don't understand what is all this cry about? Russians put their money in American economy. I would think it is good thing at least for Americans.
2
Wow! I missed the earlier story about a new trove of leaked documents (from a Bahamian Bank??) the NY Times got to examine to do this story. I am more impressed by this story than anyone one I have read that highlights details about the Panama Papers, leaked from a Bank outfit in Panama. This story of Milner suggests money laundering because if you can't say where your investment money is coming from then you have to assume it is tainted, or sourced from kleptocrats.
I wonder if any of our politicians will ever advance a rule for doing business in the United States: no opaque money. This will have a deflationary impact on the cost of real estate for sure because money will stop flowing in for houses and luxury condos. It will also advance an American value, work yourself up by your own bootstraps and earn your money fairly and honestly. This is the American way; can't say Milner has done that.
7
Now that digital technology has linked the world and its money, we can dismiss ideological conflict. Oligarchs and plutocrats of all stripes have formed a network of power that transcends politics and national boundaries. Money changes everything.
9
I'm not sure what to think about this. Of course there are these kinds of tentacles everywhere and we proles probably know about .0001% of them. The big question is how this might possibly find its way down into the software and algorithm itself - in a literal and figurative sense. I always though of Zuckerberg as a boy genius and Sandberg as someone to emulate. Now I think both of them need to shower.
11
When going up against a "free" society, Russia finally realized that it does not need its bombs, missiles, and warships. The social media in a free society like the U.S. is wide open to manipulation by all manner of bad actors - with Russia being the primary player. Just as with social media, our free economy leaves the door ajar for mischief makers like Mr. Milner. If we're going to maintain a free society, we're going to have to get a lot smarter.
See:
RevolutionOfReason.com
TheRogueRevolutionist.com
9
FACE BOOK doesn't change anyone's mind. People go on there to express their own opinions and could care less what anyone else thinks!
4
Given that Russia is a mob-run kleptocracy, to the degree that many of its mobsters are sanctioned from transferring their ill-gotten gains to legitimate banks and enterprises, is it more likely or less likely that Milner's, ahem, "investments" are made with legitimate cash or laundered cash? The answer seems obvious.
6
"Milner's connection to Kremlin interference." Of course these companies have investors from all over the world. But the NYTs sees Kremlin interference everywhere. Of course this Kremlin interference has not been shown except in the feverish mind's of Democrats and their media allies.
1
In a global economy, money is fungible. Investors from all over the world own stocks, or interests in real estate, private equity funds, and venture capital funds.
Having foreign investors "vested" in the success of an enterprise does more for our economy and democratic values than forcing them to invest surreptitiously or not at all by dint of being at odds with one another.
2
In time, Mueller's sting will simply be known as Operation Matryoshka.
The ugly little nested dolls are beginning to spill out the sides of the offshore companies, the hidden deals, the wink-wink, nudge-nudge talk about "orphans" the controlling ownerships in Putin, Inc. and perhaps Facebook and Twitter, the shady appointments of Trump foxes to guard our henhouses, the Turkish agent posing as the National Security Advisor, the Russian meetings our Attorney General claims he knew nothing about, the multiple passports held by the campaign manager who got millions from Putin's bag man in Ukraine....
The little dolls are being unpacked. And cute they're not. Bring it on, Mr. Mueller.
16
Amazing how American executives will sell anything for a buck!
Ah, it's the American way!
Fortunately, comrad, we don't have to go back to the old days, when we used our spies to buy state and corporation secrets.
11
James Bond moves f the 1960-1970s envisioned multinational crime syndicates with its members infiltrated into the high reaches of governments and global businesses. Looks like it took the internet to finally get us there. Funny thing, the far right “alternative media” loves conspiratorial theories but doesn’t seem to have much interests in this one. Wondering why......does Steve Bannon own a cat?
5
Will Twitter and FaceBook be indicted as well for Russian Collusion - along with the astronauts who served aboard the Mir Space Station?
1
Collusion to do what? 'Collusion' per se is not an offense; one must collude with others to commit an offense to be prosecutable.
1
Putin is reputed to be the richest person in the world. However if you and your gang of thugs are raiding Russia’s wealth for yourselves it’s not something that can be publicly acknowledged.
So with the wealth of an entire country being skimmed you can expect legitimate investments to surface from all the shell companies and front people needed to obfuscate that much wealth.
When so many people have had a taste of Putin’s money eventually it reaches a point where few people will want to stop it.
Right out of the Putin Playbook for Dictators…pay off the 1%ers and they will be on your side, cause they only care about money, not democracy or civil rights…enter Trump.
8
Capitalism used against us from former Communist rival. Jiu-Jitsu it would seem.
18
First rate investigative reporting that should put Facebook and Twitter (and others) on notice. Money (like M & M’s) corrupts; money (like M & M’s) is not innocent (if anyone’s wondering, I’m on a diet, can’t resist those M & M’s).
19
I'm kind of impressed that the Russians are still so good at playing chess. It seems they've even gotten better. Maybe once Deep Blue did beat them, now it will pay, only with us for chips.
9
Thank you for the good reporting. Another aspect of this story that deserves consideration is that pre-IPO investors are privy to corporate strategies and often recommend approaches on product security, structure, and product partnerships, which affect how other products and customers access the application.
"The better to eat you with my dear."
45
1.Get his passport (s)
2. lock him up
3. Seize his assets
4. buy RT
5. infiltrate (buy) Russian society at every turn.
we dont seem to have a plan while they have had a plan since bush looked
into putins eyes and saw what he thought might be his soul
6. Turn Trump (as an asset)
7. Jam the russians internet connections and keep them jammed until we
have a (darn) plan.
39
When is Trump-Pence regime to begin 'Extreme Vetting' on Russian and former USSR citizens seeking USA 'green cards'?
55
Never. They've made it extremely clear that there will be no vetting at all of Russian activities, Russian Nationals, or nothing at all related to the election interference. Curious coincidence? I think not.
2
Yes, and arrest those astronauts who worked with the Russians on the Mir Space Station for collusion!
is any of this a surprise? Putin has stolen billions of dollars over the last 20 years. He's got to hide is somewhere. We think its bad having trump fake his way through 4 years? Try having a straight up thug, criminal, and murderer running things with zero oversight from anyone. good times in russia...
24
Can anyone really be surprised?
Russia is a Klepto-Plutocracy.
China is a Princeling-Plutocracy.
While the United States would like to believe itself still a Democracy, wealth stratification has given us a Super-Wealth Class, and with SCOTUS having given money the power of speech, our Democracy is in real danger.
Is it any wonder that many willingly serve as front-men for those whose power is unlimited?
52
Sorry, I don't understand. What danger is US democracy in exactly?
Isn't it evident that US democracy died a long time ago? Like, HRC won the popular vote by a lot but the other guy still became President?
So why do we keep talking like it's still here?
Once we move past the myth that US democracy still exists, vs being little more than bread and circuses for the rubes, maybe we can start talking about how to bring it back to life?
1
Now it should be plainly obvious to absolutely everyone that there was a clear, concerted and far-reaching effort on behalf of the government of the Russian Federation to get Donald Trump elected president of the United States.
P.S. It should also be clear that the reason for their actions isn't because they thought he would be the most capable leader for our country.
29
True, but let's not forget that Bill Clinton encouraged him to run. So much for clinton political savvy.
2
Disagree. I believe that Russia has been infiltrating the USA for decades, and more so over the last 10 years than ever before. It is arrogant and naive at best to assume otherwise.
Russia didn't care who was president, they just want the citizens divided. Not hard to do as the citizens are divided to begin with as our education system has not taught critical thinking in 20 years. Also, our education system is filled with Progressives and us vs. them attitudes - thank the Dept. of Ed and the worst of the democratic and republican party policy; although it is primarily the Dems that drove this downward trend.
2
Why is this news? We should assume that plutocrats have their fingers in almost every pie. Whether it is the US, UK, China, Kenya, the establishment is largely beholden to the ultra rich. Without campaign finance reform, the US is quickly becoming the same as everywhere else. China, as our largest creditor, would be wise to demand reform in the US as well as internally - they are perhaps the only ones who can trump (sorry) the Mercers, Kochs and Putins of this world.
24
Why would they (China)? Aren't they doing well now?
2