Epstein's Silicon Valley connections went beyond Gates and Musk

The U.S. Justice Department's latest release of millions of documents related to the notorious sex criminal and financier Jeffrey Epstein has shed more light on the relationships he built with various influential figures, including many from the American tech industry.

Notably, the files reference communications and meetings involving tech mogul Elon Musk and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, two of the world's wealthiest people. This has led to much scrutiny of the pair in recent weeks, both of whom have denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

But those two billionaires are not the only tech names to appear repeatedly in the trove of new documents. Other tech executives named include Google co-founder Sergey Brin, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, former Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

While those executives have been linked to Epstein in the past, the new disclosures reveal more than previously known about their association with the convicted sex offender through records ranging from emails, schedules and photos.

Brin and Sinofsky have not commented on the matter, while Theil and Hoffman have said they only associated with Epstein for legal and legitimate purposes.

Authorities have stressed that being named in the records does not indicate evidence of wrongdoing nor prove that the name was part of a purported client list or blackmail scheme.

Still, the files help paint a picture of Epstein's longstanding efforts to embed himself within — and sometimes become a confidant and power-broker for — some of Silicon Valley's most powerful circles prior to his death in 2019

Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and co-founder of Palantir and PayPal, where he once worked alongside Elon Musk, also appears in the Epstein files, with the latest release showing correspondence between and about the two.

Those communications began around 2014 and lasted until around 2019, just months before Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, and well after he was first formally charged with sex-related crimes in 2006.

Among the materials is a recording of an undated conversation between Epstein and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, in which Epstein references Thiel.

In the recording, Epstein advised Barak on how to leverage his connections to get a lucrative position at a company, floating Palantir as a potential option. He added that he had not yet met Thiel but hoped to see him the following week.

The duo would indeed get better acquainted, with emails over the years including meeting plans, discussions about the Trump campaign, and other informal exchanges. Ahead of one planned meeting, Thiel's team had even sent his dietary details to Epstein's staff. 

Files released by the House Oversight Committee in November 2025 also showed Epstein invited Thiel to visit him in "the Caribbean."

In response to CNBC's request for comment, a representative for Thiel said the venture capitalist never visited Epstein's infamous private island in the Virgin Islands.

The New York Times reported in June that Epstein, in 2015 and 2016, had invested $40 million in two funds managed by a venture capital firm co-founded by Thiel.

In a podcast appearance that aired on Aug. 16, 2024, Thiel discussed some of his encounters with Epstein, noting that he met him a few times starting in 2014, after being introduced by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

Thiel said the discussions centered on tax and financial advice. He added that he had underestimated the severity of Epstein's earlier crimes due to Epstein's lenient sentencing in 2008 and his trust in the judgment of his mutual connections.

The latest Epstein file releases feature many references to Reid Hoffman, who co-founded LinkedIn in 2002, with communications between the two showing several friendly email exchanges.

While much of the correspondence centered on fundraising for MIT's Media Lab, it also included personal interactions, tax advice, meeting plans, and mentions of gifts Hoffman sent to Epstein. The documents also confirm a 2014 visit Hoffman made to Epstein's private island. 

Hoffman has previously acknowledged visiting the island, saying the trip was strictly for philanthropic purposes and that he later regretted not researching Epstein more thoroughly beforehand. 

However, other emails show plans for additional visits to Epstein's estates, including his Zorro Ranch in New Mexico and his Manhattan apartment, though it's unclear which of those trips actually occurred.  Hoffman recently confirmed 2016 meetings with Epstein in Palo Alto and Cambridge.

Epstein is seen referring to Hoffman as a "very close friend," and saying at one point that he missed seeing and talking to the internet entrepreneur. Emails in 2014 also show the financier trying to help connect Hoffman to investment opportunities in India.

Meanwhile, a 2015 email from Epstein mentioned a dinner Hoffman hosted in Palo Alto, attended by Zuckerberg, Musk, Thiel, and MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden.

Hoffman connected Zuckerberg and Epstein via email after the event.  In response to an inquiry, Meta directed CNBC to a 2019 statement from a spokesperson, which stated that Zuckerberg did not communicate with Epstein again after the dinner.

Hoffman did not respond to a CNBC request for comment. He has previously said he regrets his interactions with Epstein and has called for a full release of the Epstein files. The latest documents reviewed by CNBC contained no indications of criminal wrongdoing or involvement in Epstein's illicit activities.

However, in November last year, President Donald Trump had ordered a DOJ investigation into Hoffman, a major Democratic donor, along with former president Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Trump framed the investigation as a probe of Democratic ties to Epstein, though some critics argued it was a deflection from Trump's own mentions in the files. Trump has confirmed a past friendship with Epstein, but said he had no knowledge of his crimes and broke off his relationship with him years ago.

The file release also contains multiple references to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, including email communications.

One particular email chain in April 2003 showed Brin communicating with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime companion and convicted co-conspirator, regarding potential dinner plans at Epstein's New York estate.

The exchange appeared to follow up on an earlier encounter between the two. "Dinners at Jeffrey's are always happily casual and relaxed. Look forward to seeing you," Maxwell wrote.  

CNBC contacted Brin through Google for comment, but did not receive a response. 

Connections between Epstein and Brin have been previously documented, though no allegations of wrongdoing have been leveled.

In 2004, Epstein had allegedly referred Brin to JPMorgan Chase as a client and later connected him with bank executives for tax advice, per a complaint filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands government in a U.S. district court against JPMorgan Chase Bank. The U.S. Virgin Islands also subpoenaed Brin in March 2023 for documents related to Epstein's interactions with JPMorgan.

Meanwhile, court documents unsealed in 2024 related to litigation involving Maxwell included exhibits in which Epstein accuser Sarah Ransome alleged she met Brin and his then fiancée, now ex-wife, Anne Wojcicki, on Epstein's island.

Brin stepped down as president of Google's parent company, Alphabet, on Dec. 3, 2019, saying at the time that he was no longer needed in the role. However, he remained a controlling shareholder and board member.

He returned from semi-retirement in late 2023 to actively contribute to the company's artificial intelligence initiatives, including work on Gemini.

More details of the relationship between Epstein and Steven Sinofsky, a former Microsoft executive who oversaw key products like Windows and Office, were revealed in the latest files.

The documents showed that Sinofsky had sought Epstein's advice on the terms of his exit from Microsoft after leaving in 2012.

Sinofsky, who is now a board partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, then emailed Epstein in September 2013, about three months after Microsoft announced the terms of his $14 million retirement agreement, writing: "Got paid. You will be too :)"

Sinofsky continued to email Epstein through 2018, discussing his finances, career prospects and social events in New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

An email exchange from November 2012 also appears to show Epstein referencing a possible meeting between Sinofsky and Apple's Tim Cook regarding job opportunities. In the email, Epstein appears to indicate he had recently spoken with Cook, saying "tim cook was excited to meet" with Sinofsky, though the context is unclear. Months later, Sinofsky would email Epstein about a meeting with Cook.

Sinofsky declined to comment. Apple did not respond to a request for comment regarding the alleged Epstein-Cook interaction.

Epstein's relationship with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who appears in earlier document releases, has also drawn intense scrutiny in recent weeks following mentions in the latest disclosures. Those included draft emails written to himself in which Epstein suggests that he had helped facilitate extramarital affairs and sexual encounters for Gates, amongst other things.

In an interview with Australia's 9News on Wednesday, Gates denied any wrongdoing in relation to new files, calling Epstein's allegations "absolutely absurd and completely false."

He emphasized that his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners aimed at potential philanthropy discussions, adding that he "never went to the island" and "never met any women."