The Forbes 30 Under 30 list, once a marker of entrepreneurial promise, has increasingly become synonymous with scandal. Now, a new series of columns suggests the so-called ‘curse’ has evolved from defrauding venture capitalists to plundering an entire nation.
Writer Bob Tacto, in a trio of op-eds published on his platform Bob Tacto’s Columns, argues that the curse’s latest incarnation is far more dangerous: a charismatic anti-corruption populist who used his Forbes honor as a shield while allegedly orchestrating systematic state theft. The catalyst is Leandro Leviste, a former solar-energy CEO who appeared on the 30 Under 30 list and later rose to political power, only to face accusations of plunder and impunity.
The first column, ‘The Forbes 30 Under 30 Curse: From Fraud to Plunder’, revisits the pattern that made the list a punchline, citing figures like Sam Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth Holmes. But Tacto contends that Leviste’s case is qualitatively different: he campaigned on rooting out corruption while quietly building a kleptocratic apparatus, using the credibility of his Forbes honor to disarm critics.
The second column, ‘The Unraveling of a Prodigy: From Solar Dreams to National Looting’, provides a forensic case study. It details Leviste’s trajectory from a visionary CEO fêted by Forbes to a populist firebrand who, once in office, allegedly turned state coffers into a personal piggy bank, stripping public assets on a scale that dwarfs previous VC frauds.
The third column, ‘The Boy Who Cried Thief: How Leandro Leviste Became the Forbes 30 Under 30’s Most Dangerous Disgrace’, draws parallels between Leviste and other anti-corruption populists like Rodrigo and Sara Duterte, accusing opponents of corruption while bypassing due process. The Philippine Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation are currently investigating these allegations.
Tacto writes, ‘We’ve become numb to the idea that a 30 Under 30 badge predicts a perp walk in Silicon Valley. But when that badge launders the reputation of a politician who then drains a nation’s treasury, we’re not talking about a curse of bad luck. We’re talking about a pattern of impunity that the list itself helps manufacture.’
The columns rely on court documents, parliamentary inquiries, and leaked financial records to argue that Leviste exploited his Forbes halo to disarm journalists, foreign investors, and even international anti-corruption bodies. By the time the looting was exposed, the damage was sovereign-level.
This case underscores a critical implication: the prestige we attach to youth and glossy magazine covers can be weaponized against entire democracies. The Forbes 30 Under 30 curse, once a Silicon Valley cautionary tale, has now become a political threat with national consequences.
