“The Builder Behind America's New Tech-Power Establishment”
Chosen for wielding extraordinary influence at the intersection of technology, national security, venture capital and American public policy: Joe Lonsdale has spent two decades building institutions designed not simply to create wealth, but to change how America works. A co-founder of Palantir Technologies, he went on to create or help build companies including Addepar and OpenGov, before founding 8VC, the Austin-based venture firm that today manages more than $6 billion in capital and has become a major force in defense, AI, healthcare and government technology.
Lonsdale's influence has become particularly visible in the transformation of America's defense establishment. Palantir helped pioneer the marriage of Silicon Valley software and national security, while 8VC became an early investor in companies such as Anduril, Saronic and other startups challenging the traditional defense giants. Lonsdale has argued that a small group of technology-driven "neo-primes" can rebuild America's military-industrial capabilities faster and more effectively than the old model.
In 2026, that vision also moved closer to Israel. 8VC made its first Israeli defense-tech investment, backing Litevision, a startup founded by veterans of Israeli military intelligence and Rafael that develops advanced electro-optical systems for small drones. The investment underscored the growing technological connection between Israel's defense startup ecosystem and the Silicon Valley investors seeking to reshape Western military power.
But Lonsdale's reach extends well beyond venture capital. Through the Cicero Institute, which he founded in 2019, ideas developed by his policy network have spread through state legislatures and increasingly into Washington. By 2026, Cicero had helped move more than 200 pieces of legislation into law across 29 states, while some of its proposals, particularly on homelessness and government accountability, became influential within the Trump administration itself.
He has also sought to build entirely new institutions. As founding chairman of the University of Austin, Lonsdale has become a leading advocate for an alternative model of higher education centered on intellectual freedom, Western civilization and technological excellence. Together with his wife Tayler, he has also been recognized for supporting Jewish education and strengthening Jewish and American civic institutions.
Lonsdale's Jewish connection is deeply personal. Raised Jewish by his mother, he has spoken publicly about the historic relationship between Jews and Persians and about his hope for a future in which the Iranian people and Israel can again be natural allies.
From helping create Palantir to financing the next generation of defense and AI companies, influencing government policy and building new educational institutions, Joe Lonsdale has become far more than a venture capitalist, he is one of the architects of a new nexus of technology, national power and ideas.
That is why Joe Lonsdale is No. 32 on The 36.