Chamath Palihapitiya
Chamath Palihapitiya is a globally recognized venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and technology investor, celebrated for his bold ideas and contrarian investment approach. He is the Founder and CEO of Social Capital, a leading venture capital firm that incubates and invests in breakthrough companies transforming industries such as healthcare, fintech, climate technology, and education. Before founding Social Capital, Chamath was a senior executive at Facebook, where he played a key role in scaling the company into one of the most influential technology platforms in the world. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions at AOL, Winamp, and Mayfield Fund, gaining deep experience across technology, product, and venture investing. Often referred to as the “SPAC King,” Chamath became one of the most prominent figures during the SPAC boom of 2020, using special purpose acquisition companies to take several high-profile firms public, including Virgin Galactic, SoFi, and Opendoor. Beyond venture capital, Chamath is a Minority Owner and Executive Board Member of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, reflecting his diverse interests spanning technology, finance, and sports.
Chamath Palihapitiya Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder and Chief Executive Officer
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Vice President, User Growth, Mobile and International
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Associate, Interest Rate Derivatives Group
Academic History
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B.A.Sc., Electrical Engineering, First Class Honors
FACEBOOK CAREER
Chamath Palihapitiya was the longest-tenured original member of Facebook’s senior management team, where he played a pivotal role in the company’s explosive early growth.
During his four-year tenure, he served as Vice President of User Growth, Mobile, and International, overseeing strategies that helped expand Facebook’s global user base to more than 750 million users worldwide.
Chamath was instrumental in developing Facebook’s monetization products, mobile growth initiatives, and international expansion, solidifying the company’s dominance as the world’s leading social media platform.
His data-driven approach to scaling user engagement became a blueprint for growth across Silicon Valley.
Widely recognized as the “SPAC King,” Chamath Palihapitiya is credited with popularizing special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) as an innovative path for private companies to go public.
His forward-thinking use of SPACs helped redefine modern capital markets and positioned him as a leading voice in alternative investing.
Through his SPAC ventures, Chamath successfully brought several high-profile companies to the public markets, including Virgin Galactic, Clover Health, and Opendoor Technologies.
In addition to his SPAC ventures, Chamath was an early investor in Slack Technologies and has supported numerous disruptive startups in their formative stages.
MEDIA PRESENCE
A frequent commentator and thought leader, Chamath Palihapitiya is known for his outspoken views on technology, economics, investing, and the future of capitalism.
He regularly shares insights through high-profile interviews and platforms, including his co-hosted podcast The All-In Podcast, where he discusses markets, startups, and global policy alongside other leading investors.
Chamath has been featured or quoted in top global media outlets such as Forbes, Bloomberg, The New York Times, CNBC, Financial Times, Business Insider, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, Yahoo! Finance, TechCrunch, CoinDesk, and The Economic Times.
He has also appeared on Real Vision and other major financial programs, where his insights continue to influence investors and entrepreneurs worldwide.