Bernie Sanders Battles California Billionaire Tax Clash as Newsom Opposes

Elon Reeve Musk, born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, is a prominent entrepreneur and business magnate known for founding and leading several transformative technology companies. He holds dual citizenship in Canada and the United States and earned bachelor's degrees in physics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. Musk began his entrepreneurial career in the 1990s by co-founding Zip2, a software company, and later X.com, which evolved into PayPal, an online payment system acquired by eBay in 2002. In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX, a pioneering aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, where he serves as CEO and chief engineer. SpaceX is notable for its advancements in reusable rocket technology and commercial spaceflight. In 2004, he joined Tesla Motors as an early investor and took on the roles of CEO and product architect in 2008, driving the company to the forefront of electric vehicle manufacturing. Musk also co-founded Neuralink in 2016, focusing on neurotechnology, and founded The Boring Company in 2017, which develops tunneling and infrastructure projects. In 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI to promote artificial intelligence research but later left due to differences in vision, subsequently founding xAI. In 2022, he acquired the social media platform Twitter, rebranding it as X in 2023, and has been involved in various business and political activities, including a brief advisory role in the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency in early 2025. Musk is recognized as one of the wealthiest individuals globally, with an estimated net worth of $500 billion as of October 2025. His career is marked by significant influence across sectors including space exploration, electric vehicles, AI, social media, and infrastructure development, with ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny related to his business practices and investments. He is also known for his complex personal life, including fathering 14 children[1][2][3].

Mark Zuckerberg is an American businessman and computer programmer, best known as the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Meta Platforms, Inc. Born on May 14, 1984, in White Plains, New York, Zuckerberg showed an early interest in programming and technology. He enrolled at Harvard University in 2002, where in February 2004 he launched the social networking site thefacebook.com, initially for Harvard students. The site quickly expanded to other universities and, later, to the general public, becoming one of the world’s most widely used social media platforms. Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook with several Harvard classmates, including Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. He dropped out of Harvard in 2004 to focus on the company, moving its operations to Palo Alto, California. Under his leadership, Facebook grew rapidly, reaching hundreds of millions of users and going public in 2012. The company later acquired major platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp, significantly expanding its global reach and influence. In October 2021, Zuckerberg announced a corporate rebranding, changing Facebook’s parent company name to Meta Platforms to reflect a strategic focus on building the “metaverse,” a vision of interconnected virtual and augmented reality experiences. As Meta’s CEO, he continues to oversee Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and related technologies, including virtual reality products through the Reality Labs division. Zuckerberg has been a central figure in debates over social media, data privacy, and free expression. In recent years, Meta has made changes to its content policies, including scaling back third-party fact-checking programs on Facebook and Instagram in favor of greater emphasis on free expression. As of late 2025, he remains one of the world’s wealthiest individuals and a key player in shaping the future of digital communication and online platforms.

Gavin Christopher Newsom, born October 10, 1967, in San Francisco, California, is an American politician and businessman currently serving as the 40th governor of California since January 2019. Raised in an established San Francisco family and educated at Santa Clara University, where he studied political science, Newsom began his political career in 1996 with an appointment to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, after serving briefly on the city’s Parking and Traffic Commission. Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco in 2004, becoming the youngest mayor in over a century. His tenure was notable for progressive initiatives, including directing the city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004, a pioneering move in the national movement for marriage equality. He also launched the Healthy San Francisco program, expanding access to healthcare for uninsured residents. After serving as mayor until 2011, Newsom was elected lieutenant governor of California, holding that office from 2011 to 2019. As governor, Newsom has focused on progressive policy areas such as gun control, criminal justice reform, environmental protection, affordable housing, and universal healthcare access. His administration has prioritized tackling homelessness, improving public safety, and expanding educational opportunities. Notably, he imposed an early moratorium on executions in California and led the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing some of the strictest health measures in the country. Newsom survived a recall election in 2021 and was re-elected in 2022, maintaining significant political influence in California. Newsom is also known for his entrepreneurial background, founding the PlumpJack Group, which grew into a substantial hospitality and wine business. He is married to Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and they have four children. Diagnosed with dyslexia in childhood, Newsom has spoken publicly about overcoming learning challenges while pursuing a career in public service[1][2][3][5][6][7].