The Secret Stanford Off-Campus Class for Tech’s Next Titans - The Story

The Secret Stanford Off-Campus Class for Tech’s Next Titans - The Story

From TechStuff by iHeartPodcasts

June 10, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

Theo Baker discusses his experiences in a secret Stanford class that connects students to Silicon Valley elites.

Did your college have a secret society? Well, Stanford has a secret off-campus class training the next generation of Silicon Valley billionaires. And it's literally called "How to Rule the World." Theo Baker arrived at Stanford as an aspiring coder with dreams of building the future. Instead, he stumbled into the "Stanford-within-Stanford" — a hidden pipeline connecting a select few students directly to Silicon Valley CEOs, yacht parties, and venture capitalists offering millions before you even have an idea. Then he decided to write a book about it. In How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University , Theo traces his freshman year transformation from tech idealist to award-winning investigative journalist — including the reporting that brought down Stanford's own president. He joins us to talk power, secrecy, and what Silicon Valley is really teaching the next generation. Additional Reading:  How to Rule the World by Theo Baker   EXCLUSIVE  NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/techstuff Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Theo Baker

Topics covered

  • secret societies
  • Silicon Valley
  • education
  • power
  • journalism
  • investigative reporting

Keywords

  • Stanford
  • Silicon Valley
  • billionaires
  • investigative journalism
  • power
  • secrecy
  • How to Rule the World

Sponsors

NordVPN

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stanford University

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