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Tech CEOs Are Putting Their Faces On Sweaters
Image courtesy of Nvidia // Illustration by Kate Walker
The hottest style in Silicon Valley right now might be putting your boss’s face on your clothes.
The Big Stitch: Silicon Valley has always been a cult of personality, but now full devotion to tech leaders is exploding across offices beyond the Bay Area. Going to work with tech titans splayed across your chest isn’t just a way to win brownie points; it could also signal that you’re a true believer in the company’s mission.
Between The Threads: Big Tech is reprogramming its employees’ closets, per The WSJ.
Nvidia sold green sweaters emblazoned with an AI avatar of CEO Jensen Huang, dubbed “Toy Huang," with a price tag of $178.
Palantir sold out of $75 T-shirts featuring a watercolor portrait of a yoked Alex Karp above his motto, “Dominate” (an extremely not-chill shirt, if you ask anyone).
Anduril sells flower-print Hawaii shirts, which founder Palmer Luckey is known for wearing, for $80. Those also sold out.
Bonus: Mark Zuckerberg strolled onstage at Meta Connect 2024 in an oversized black T-shirt reading “Aut Zuck Aut Nihil” (a play on the Latin phrase “Aut Caesar aut nihil,” meaning “Either Caesar or nothing”) created by LA designer Mike Amiri. Meta never sold it, but it would probably be a hit if it did.
Last Looks: Tech-focused executive coach Alisa Cohn told The WSJ that splashing a founder’s face on merch “is a sign that the companies want people to associate the startups with the personas of their CEOs.” That idea has plenty of pros and cons (just look at how Elon Musk’s antics have hurt X and Tesla), but it makes a lot of sense in the influencer age — brand loyalty is a reflection of fandom.
Every company needs a mascot.
The Future: How long until Silicon Valley debuts tech-leader trading cards? Fanatics would be all over it.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.