By Amanda Chicago Lewis
The job offer sounded like a scam. It was the summer of 2021, and no one had heard of Truth Social yet. Alex Gleason received an email out of the blue from a programmer in Alabama, asking questions about some social-media software he had developed. Gleason got on a call with the man to discuss it. The stranger abruptly said he wanted to hire Gleason for an important project, but couldn’t share any details about who would be paying his salary or how his work would be used. Everything was top secret.
Explore more
More from 1843 magazine
1843 magazine | Wise guys in wheelchairs: why is the FBI chasing elderly mobsters?
Today’s mafiosi are cash-strapped old men. The American government still throws the book at them
1843 magazine | The burned and the saved: what the LA fires spared
As two fires continue to blaze, some pockets of the city contain both rubble and relics
1843 magazine | The wealth whisperers who save super-rich families from themselves
A new caste of consultants is helping to avoid “Succession”-style crises
1843 magazine | Will there ever be a Google Translate for pets?
The tech world is on the case – but there’s no guarantee that our animals will have anything interesting to say
1843 magazine | The year in pictures 2024
Images that defined the year
1843 magazine | To the manor bought: the Americans who want to be British lords
The market for “noble” titles is booming