Inside Digital Health's Political Cartel

New Trump rule for digital health: If you're buddies with a16z or any of those other deep ass-kissers, don't stress about your failing business. You're good. We've got your back.

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VC funds like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and General Catalyst couldn’t pick winners if their lives depended on it. So instead, they became Washington lobbyists, dragging along their most loyal founders—not innovators—to keep the money flowing. And this photo is a perfect illustration of that corruption.

Three months ago, I exposed the healthcare VC mafia, complete with an eye-opening org chart. Now, digital health is openly morphing into a political cartel. If you’re in bed with whoever holds political power, you’re golden—innovation and hard work not required.

I grew up in the USSR, and let me tell you, this is as corrupt as it gets. It’s disheartening to admit, but the digital health industry is profoundly corrupt.

You can try to rationalize why these founders and VC bros chose this path. But I know my numbers. I understand that 99% of digital health startups have never turned a profit, and the only apparent way out is to prostitute yourselves politically.

Don’t f*cking pretend you’re doing this for “healthcare” or for your employees. Be honest, for once in your privileged lives: you’re doing this to save yourselves, your mansions, and your yachts. (Looking at you, Hemant. 😉) It’s a billionaire Hunger Games.

You can call it whatever you like, but it only has one real name: corruption.

So let’s dissect this Digital Health Political Cartel.

In my previous investigation, I exposed Hemant Taneja of General Catalyst as the healthcare VC mafia boss.

But tables have turned. After months of Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz deeply kissing Trump’s ass on every single episode of their podcast, the payoff has arrived with Trump’s election. Now, it’s a16z, not Hemant Taneja, who runs the healthcare show in Washington. Hemant “miscalculated” by backing Democrats, and now he’s acting like a political prostitute desperately trying to “redeem” himself with Trump and RFK Jr., launching various pro-Trump initiatives. It’s sickening.

Here’s the photo op advertised by the HHS as RFK Jr. meets with “the leaders at the forefront of health technology” on Monday, May 19, 2025. Immediately, smarter folks than me flagged the blatant a16z connection. As these smarter folks also pointed out, these aren’t actual health tech leaders—far from it. In fact, at least two alleged fraudsters appear in this photo—Mark Hyman of Function Health and Munjal Shah of Hippocratic AI. (More on these two below.) The only reason these eight individuals are smiling next to RFK Jr. is because a16z invested in six of their companies. The seventh company, WHOOP, has its own powerful lobby—particularly within the Department of Defense (DoD) and, unsurprisingly, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Of course, a16z, via its founders and notorious Trump ass-kissers Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, has been a significant supporter and donor to Donald Trump.

None of these so-called “leaders at the forefront of health technology”—Function Health, Hippocratic AI, Talkiatry, Season Health, Knownwell, WHOOP, Turquoise Health—has ever turned a profit since launching. If you surveyed industry experts about whether any of these companies would rank among the top 10 digital health firms today, it’s likely none would make the cut. Yet, ironically, their fortunes are poised to improve significantly, thanks to good ol’-fashioned political ass-kissing.

If you’re a digital health founder today, forget breakthroughs. Forget innovation. Forget profitability. Just cozy up to Marc Andreessen or the Saudis, and you’re set for life.

Freedom of (Alleged) Fraud Through Pardons

What this USSR-like mob structure that Trump has created allows is complete freedom to commit any manner of crime or misconduct, assured by the safety net of presidential pardons—as long as loyalty to Trump is maintained. This is the essence of how the modern mob operates: commit your fraud, engage in your schemes, secure in the knowledge that accountability is always optional, entirely contingent upon personal allegiance.

Mark Hyman, a long-time buddy and close associate of RFK Jr., has leveraged his connections to build a veneer of legitimacy around Function Health. Beneath its polished marketing claims lies a troubling trail of allegations pointing towards systemic financial mismanagement and fraudulent practices. Insiders and whistleblowers alike suggest that Function Health systematically overstates patient outcomes, manipulates investor presentations, and maintains an opaque corporate structure that obscures accountability. Hyman’s personal ties to powerful political figures, particularly RFK Jr., serve not as credentials of integrity, but rather as protective cover, allowing him and his company to evade scrutiny and accountability.

Munjal Shah, closely associated with “The Godfather” of the healthcare VC mafia himself, Hemant Taneja, pretends to be an innovative force in healthtech. Yet Shah’s track record at Health IQ tells a markedly different story—one marred by serious allegations of fraudulent behavior, misleading consumers, lying to vendors, and manipulating insurance underwriting to inflate revenues. Now, at Hippocratic AI, Shah continues his autocratic management style, silencing dissent and pushing aggressive sales strategies over genuine healthcare innovation. Employees report an environment characterized by fear, retaliation, and relentless pressure to meet unrealistic growth targets, reflecting Shah’s persistent disregard for ethical boundaries. Shah’s association with powerful industry figures like Taneja provides him a shield, enabling continued questionable business practices while positioning him as an untouchable figure in the modern healthcare fraud landscape.

In this jaw-dropping org chart of the Digital Health Political Cartel, I’ve tried to capture every personal, political, and financial connection—all the way to the top. Apologies for the tiny font—I just didn’t want to leave anything out: