Wired cover on techs gay mafia ignites controversy

Source: Mashable Tech

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Credit: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images

Breaking news: there are gay people in positions of power in Silicon Valley in 2026.

That not‑so‑surprising fact is the centre of Wired’s latest cover story, which hit the internet Thursday. The internet immediately reacted, in part thanks to some, uh, unusual imagery that accompanied the article.

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The handshake cover wasn’t the only bizarre choice. Inside, the magazine used an image of a muscle‑bound man with San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower between his legs. California state senator Scott Weiner, a leader on LGBTQ issues, took issue with the whole premise.

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One Silicon Valley investor, a gay man who said he refused multiple requests to be interviewed, felt justified by the “gross” result:

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He wasn’t the only one. Many LGBTQ tech employees felt the article could be described as “homophobic.”

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Other readers noted that the article itself is, to use the magazine’s lingo, tired rather than wired:

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Meanwhile, social media did what it does best: skewering with satire.

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About the Author

Chris Taylor is a veteran tech, entertainment and culture journalist, author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, and co‑host of the Doctor Who podcast Pull to Open. Hailing from the U.K., he began as a sub‑editor on national newspapers, moved to the U.S. in 1996, and became senior news writer for Time.com a year later. In 2000 he was named San Francisco bureau chief for Time magazine. He has served as senior editor for Business 2.0, and West Coast editor for Fortune Small Business and Fast Company. Chris graduated from Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is a long‑time volunteer at 826 Valencia, the nationwide after‑school program co‑founded by author Dave Eggers. His book on the history of Star Wars is an international bestseller, translated into 11 languages.

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