Huffington Magazine Issue 72 | Page 60

NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES CRACKING THE CODE new crop of reformers are looking to funders who similarly embrace societal change: Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. “These are people who think about taking risks in order to produce world-changing results,” Lessig said. “This is the venture capital mindset. It’s, ‘OK, I’m going to sink $50 million in this and maybe nothing comes of it, but if something comes of it, it’s worldchanging and that’s the kind of game I’m interested in. I’m not interested in on-average 3 percent return. I’m interested in radical change in the way the world is.’” Silver said that much of Represent.Us funding has come from Silicon Valley, including from current and former employees of Google and Facebook. “I found this really, really resonates with a wide variety of people,” Ethan Beard, former social media director for Facebook and a board member and founder of Represent.Us, said. “It’s been getting great support from people here in Silicon Valley.” Another group, the Fund for the Republic, is working to raise $40 million over the next five years for the numerous new and old groups working to reform campaign finance law. “The funding is way too programmatically focused and way HUFFINGTON 10.27.13 “NOW, BY CORRUPTION,  I DON’T MEAN BROWN PAPER BAG CASH  SECRETED AMONG  MEMBERS OF CONGRESS,” LESSIG SAID IN HIS TALK. “I DON’T MEAN ANY CRIMINAL ACT. THE CORRUPTION I’M  TALKING ABOUT IS  PERFECTLY LEGAL.” Lawrence Lessig believes that reformers need to strike while Americans are still outraged by the Citizens United decision.