Vanity Fair's New Establishment returns

Vanity Fair has revived its New Establishment list after a nearly decade-long hiatus. The new edition, the magazine's editors write, reflects a world where artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and political polarization define influence.

The first list in 1994 chronicled a shift from old-money Brahmins to telecom and internet pioneers. That group was mostly younger white men plus Oprah. This year's list is also mostly white and male, per Vanity Fair. But the difference, the editors say, is that many of its members are now at odds with the broader society.

The roster includes Elon Musk, Kaitlan Collins, Pope Leo XIV, New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien, Tucker Carlson, and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. Also present are the next generations of the Ellison, Murdoch, and Arnault families. The editors describe several entrants as "supranational supervillains" and note that they were chosen "for better or for worse."

Vanity Fair interviewed Sam Altman twice for the package, but says most of his peers declined to talk or pose for photographer Annie Leibovitz. The magazine acknowledges an agreement between OpenAI and its owner Condé Nast.

The editors frame the list as a reflection of the world as they see it, not as they'd like it. Their goal, they write, is bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and everyone else.

• AI
• Annie Leibovitz
• Elon Musk
• New Establishment
• Sam Altman
• Vanity Fair