At Elite Events, Ultra-Wealthy Rebuff Their Critics

As the world’s wealthy gathered in displays of money and influence on both US coasts this week, an underlying tension simmered in the background: the anti-rich sentiment sweeping the country and the billionaires trying to fight against it.

At the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Citadel’s Ken Griffin railed against New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for singling him out in a plan to tax second homes, while real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht decried blue states’ broader campaigns to squeeze more levies from the rich. At Manhattan’s Met Gala, Sergey Brin said he’s “very happy” after exiting California, which is facing a potential wealth tax he vehemently opposes.