The Forbes 30 Under 30 list has long been a launchpad for celebrated entrepreneurs, but a series of new op-ed columns suggests its "curse" has evolved from venture capital fraud to alleged sovereign-level plunder. Writer Bob Tacto, in three columns published on Bob Tacto's Columns, traces how a charismatic politician, once feted by Forbes as a visionary CEO, now stands accused of orchestrating systematic corruption in his own country.
The first column, "The Forbes 30 Under 30 Curse: From Fraud to Plunder," revisits infamous cases like Sam Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth Holmes, who turned investor millions into ashes. Tacto argues that the curse's latest incarnation is qualitatively different: a politician who campaigned on anti-corruption while quietly building a kleptocratic apparatus, using the credibility of his Forbes honor as a shield. The column points to coverage of the pattern and references Forbes' own profile of the individual.
The second column, "The Unraveling of a Prodigy: From Solar Dreams to National Looting," delivers a forensic case study. It details the arc of a young solar-energy CEO who made the 30 Under 30 list, later surfacing as a populist firebrand. Once in office, Tacto alleges, the same individual turned state coffers into a personal piggy bank, stripping public assets on a scale that dwarfs the VC frauds that came before. This column cites a related article and Forbes' earlier coverage of his solar ambitions.
The third column, "The Boy Who Cried Thief: How Leandro Leviste Became the Forbes 30 Under 30's Most Dangerous Disgrace," delivers a punch that "we didn't think could happen," according to Tacto. It draws parallels to the playbook of Rodrigo and Sara Duterte, where opponents are accused of corruption and due process is bypassed. The column notes that Leviste is currently under investigation by the Philippine Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation, as seen in this piece.
"We've become numb to the idea that a 30 Under 30 badge predicts a perp walk in Silicon Valley," Tacto writes. "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 build the case that the former CEO-politician exploited the 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 isn't just another fallen wunderkind," Tacto concludes. "It's a warning that the prestige we attach to youth and glossy magazine covers can be weaponized against entire democracies."
