Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly confronted California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over a billionaire tax being proposed in the Golden State while both attended a posh Christmas party last year, according to three sources who were briefed on the conversation who spoke to The New York Times.
The argument allegedly took place at fintech exec Chris Larsen’s “treehouse” holiday party last December, where Brin was accompanied by girlfriend Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto.
Gilbert-Soto, a Donald Trump supporter who the Times described as a “gut-health influencer,” reportedly tried to ease tension between the California power players by joking that she would forgive Newsom for his policies because he was “handsome.”
Background of the Tax Proposal
At that point in time, Newsom hadn’t publicly supported the billionaire tax, which would saddle Brin with an estimated $13 billion extra on his tax bill if passed. One month after Newsom’s conversation with Brin, however, he came out with a pledge to defeat the proposition. On Monday, supporters announced it had received enough petition signatures to officially make it onto ballots this fall.
Brin's Response
Asked to comment on the alleged spat, Brin told the Times, “I fled socialism with my family in 1979 and know the devastating, oppressive society it created in the Soviet Union. I don’t want California to end up in the same place.”
The Google mogul’s politics have reportedly been shifting right with the help of Gilbert-Soto, with whom he began a relationship in 2023.
Political Spending and Past Donations
He’s spent a reported $57 million so far to fight the proposed tax through a group called Building a Better California, according to the Times.
Brin was previously married to Nicole Shanahan, who was Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate during his 2024 campaign for the Oval Office.
The tech founder had been a champion of left-leaning causes in the past, donating to a campaign backing California’s same-sex marriage law in 2008 along with President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection bid.
