This article explains how a16z’s Speedrun program helps non-US founders handle visas, customs, housing, banking, and workspace when coming to California. It also outlines a peer network of alumni who share their immigration and startup experiences.

• a16z's Speedrun connects founders with immigration attorneys who have 10+ years of startup-specific experience, offering free consultations for O-1A and EB-1A visa petitions
• The program provides practical logistics support: consular interview prep, neighborhood guides for SF and Santa Monica, desk space in both offices, and banking partners who work with founders regardless of visa status
• Alumni network spans 12+ countries with a searchable directory filterable by country and startup stage, letting founders connect with peers who navigated the same visa path

After Palantir became the tech backbone for Trump’s immigration enforcement, current and former employees warned of a “descent into fascism.” Workers now question the company’s role as it deepens ties with an administration they view as attacking immigrants and fueling conflicts abroad. Palantir says it promotes internal debate and does not endorse a single ideology.

• Palantir's expanded ICE contracts to track and deport undocumented immigrants triggered internal alarm, with two former engineers coining the phrase "tracking Palantir's descent into fascism" as a running joke turned genuine concern.
• Employees who once saw their work as defensible post-9/11 national security efforts now view similar work as morally compromised under Trump's immigration crackdown.
• Staff are increasingly pushing back internally via meetings and Slack over the company's role in surveillance, deportation enforcement, and potential involvement in an Iran conflict.
• Palantir's official response emphasizes its culture of "fierce internal dialogue" and ideological diversity rather than addressing the substance of employee concerns.

Rep. Ilhan Omar discusses recent terror threats in Minneapolis and their impact on her district. She also shares her journey from Somali refugee to U.S. Congress member and what becoming American means to her.

• Omar attributes the Minneapolis pipe-bomb attack to a 27-year-old local suspect with a history of mental health-related police calls, not foreign terrorism.
• She's pushing to expand the legal definition of "domestic violent extremism" so the FBI can intervene against lone actors before attacks occur.
• She took three separate oaths (two in Arabic, one in English) for the Minnesota Legislature, the U.S. House, and the Constitution, and swore on both the Quran and Bible.
• She rejects the assimilation-vs-identity framing, arguing her hijab and Somali refugee background coexist with her role voting on issues like farm bills and serving on Foreign Affairs.