Brian Vitagliano

Lover of travel, wine, good food, good friends and good times.

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

I am the Head of Product at Trump Mobile. There is no product. I have the best job in America.

590,000 people paid $100 each to preorder a gold phone that does not exist. That is $59 million. My KPI is deposit velocity. I have a whiteboard in my office that says DEPOSIT VELOCITY. There is nothing else on the whiteboard.

We announced the phone June 2025. Gold case. American flag on the back. "Made in the USA." Ship date: August. I moved it to November. Then December. Then Q1 2026. Then mid-March. Each time I sent 590,000 people an email that said "exciting update." The exciting update was that the phone still did not exist. In April I deleted the ship date from the website entirely. I got a standing ovation on the all-hands. That was our most successful product milestone.

The phone is a $499 gold Android. 50MP camera. 6.78-inch display. Fingerprint sensor. I have never held one. Nobody on earth has held one. We got the T1 certified for network compatibility in March. We celebrated like we'd shipped. We did not ship. We certified the concept of a phone. The network said: if this thing existed, it could connect. We called that a breakthrough.

On April 6th I updated the terms and conditions. "A preorder deposit does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase." Trump Mobile does not guarantee regulatory approval. Does not guarantee production. Does not guarantee delivery. Does not guarantee the phone will exist. The deposit is non-transferable and carries no independent cash value. I have the printout framed in my office next to the whiteboard. That is the only thing we have shipped on schedule. 

"Made in the USA" lasted three months. Became "American-proud design." Then "designed with American values in mind." We manufacture overseas. Final assembly of 10 components happens in Miami. We counted putting the flag sticker on the back as one of the 10. While 590,000 people wait for their gold phone, we are currently selling refurbished iPhones. Made in China. With a Trump logo on the box. For $47.45 a month on T-Mobile's network. We are reselling another company's network at a patriotic markup. The plan is called the 47 Plan. The 47 is the only original thing about it.

An intern asked me last month when we are going to build the phone. I promoted her to VP of Customer Expectations.

Senator Warren wrote the FTC in January. I am not worried. We will have launched the next product before they finish reading the letter. That is always the math. I know the math because I have been watching it evolve for years.

Trump University promised education. Delivered weekend seminars in hotel conference rooms. 5,000 students. Settled for $25 million. That was version 1.0. You had to rent the room. You had to print the binder. You had to hire the speaker. You had to settle. Three entire obligations.

$TRUMP memecoin. No education. No binder. No room. Peaked at $75. Now $2.80. Down 96%. 1 billion tokens minted. 80% went to the team. 45 wallets gained $1.2 billion on launch night while everyone else watched their screens. For every dollar insiders made, retail lost twenty. That was version 2.0. You did not have to build anything. You did not have to hire anyone. You just had to press mint. Two obligations eliminated.

$MELANIA. Same model. Launched 48 hours later on the same audience. Down 99%. 24 wallets bought $2.6 million worth exactly 2.5 minutes before the First Lady's announcement. One wallet turned $681,000 into $39 million in 24 hours. The team controls 92% of supply. Her launch crashed her husband's token by 50% in the same hour. That was version 2.1. A patch, not a release. You did not even need a new customer base. You could cannibalize the last one.

WLFI. World Liberty Financial. The President's crypto project. Took $500 million from 600,000 wallets. Tokens locked. Cannot sell. Cannot transfer. Cannot leave. Team holds 73% of supply and votes to unlock itself. The project's advisor borrowed $75 million on a lending platform he co-founded. Using investor tokens as collateral. On a protocol where the project is 82.7% of total value locked. Other depositors could not withdraw. The President's family takes 75 cents of every dollar. That was version 3.0. You did not have to deliver anything. You did not have to pretend anything would go up. You just had to lock the door and keep the key. One obligation remaining: the smart contract.

Trump Mobile is version 4.0.

I did not have to mint a token. Did not have to write a smart contract. Did not have to lock a single wallet. Did not have to build a lending platform or freeze a billionaire or rig a governance vote. I put a flag on a gold rectangle that does not exist, opened a deposit page, collected $59 million from 590,000 Americans, and then updated the terms to say the deposit does not guarantee the rectangle will ever be real.

The version history, in case you are keeping score:

1.0 — Had to rent a room. Had to settle.
2.0 — Had to mint. Didn't have to build.
2.1 — Didn't even need new customers.
3.0 — Didn't have to deliver. They couldn't leave.
4.0 — Didn't have to promise. They paid for the flag.

Each version removes one obligation. University had three. We are down to zero. My product roadmap is one slide. It says DEPOSITS.

Version 5.0 will not need the webpage.

The phone was never the product. The deposit was always the product. The flag was the conversion funnel. The name was the close. The terms update was the only deliverable. "Made in the USA" was the positioning until it wasn't and then "American values" was the positioning until that stops working and then we will find new words that mean nothing and those will work too because the words were never the product either.

I am the Head of Product at Trump Mobile. I have never made a phone. I have made $59 million. The product is the transaction. Delivery is a legacy feature from version 1.0 and we deprecated it three versions ago.

[Gavin Newsom @GavinNewsom]

Donald Trump does not support the 2nd Amendment.

[Free Abdulrahman Yusuf @FreeAbdulrhman]

🔴 Freedom for Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

For over 90 days, renowned poet and democracy advocate Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has been subjected to enforced disappearance in the United Arab Emirates, after being forcibly extradited from Lebanon on January 8, 2025.

📣 More than 30 human rights organizations have signed a joint letter demanding:

Immediate disclosure of his whereabouts, health, and legal status
Access to his family and international legal team
Consular visits from the Turkish Embassy (he holds Turkish citizenship)
A fair and transparent legal process – or his immediate and unconditional release
We call on @FCDOGovUK, @DavidLammy, and @kajakallas to urgently press the #UAE to release him now.

📢 Poetry is not a crime. Silencing voices will not stop the call for freedom.

📄 Read the full joint statement:
Urgent Appeal for the Immediate Release of Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

To:
Right Honourable David Lammy, UK Foreign Secretary
Her Excellency Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union

Dear Esteemed Officials,
We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our deep concern and call for your urgent intervention regarding the ongoing detention of renowned poet and democratic advocate Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who was forcibly extradited and has been in enforced disappearance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since January 8, 2025.
For over 90 days, Abdulrahman has been subjected to enforced disappearance, prompting a statement from United Nations human rights experts on March 5, 2025, calling on the UAE to disclose his whereabouts. The experts warned that "our worst fears that Mr. Al-Qaradawi would face grave human rights violations if he was extradited to the UAE appear to have been justified," recalling their prior appeal urging Lebanon not to comply with the extradition request.
Abdulrahman’s case involves transnational repression, where states collaborate to silence dissent beyond their borders. This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader issue affecting human rights defenders, activists, and writers in the region.
On December 28, 2024, Lebanese security forces arrested Abdulrahman following an extradition request from the UAE, citing charges of "spreading false information, disturbing public security, and inciting unrest." These allegations stem from a video he posted online while in Syria, where he expressed critical views of Egyptian, Emirati, and Saudi authorities. His lawyer in Lebanon reviewed the request, but following the Lebanese government's decision to extradite him to the UAE, Abdulrahman was denied the opportunity to defend himself and challenge the decision.
On January 8, 2025, he was transferred by private jet to the UAE, where he was immediately detained and forcibly disappeared. His location remains undisclosed, and he has been deprived of regular access to his family. On February 20, Abdulrahman was allowed to place a one-minute phone call to his family. A government-appointed lawyer, whom he did not choose, has been assigned to his case, while his international legal representatives have been unable to communicate with him.
The extradition and detention of Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi violate international human rights protections, including the ICCPR (freedom of expression and protection from arbitrary detention), and the CAT (prohibition of extradition to countries where torture is a risk). The UAE’s actions blatantly disregard its pledges and commitments.
Despite the lack of transparency and clarity regarding his detention conditions and whereabouts, the UAE is now reportedly initiating legal proceedings for spreading rumours and cyber crimes.  However, no official charges have been presented, and there are no guarantees of due process or a fair trial.
The UAE’s deepening trade and diplomatic ties with the UK and EU — whether through the UK-UAE Sovereign Investment Partnership or the EU-UAE Cooperation Agreement —carry with them a responsibility to uphold fundamental values.

These partnerships are not solely economic in nature; they reflect shared commitments to justice, transparency, and human rights. Silence, in this case, risks signaling that these principles are secondary to strategic interests, setting a troubling precedent that could embolden further transnational repression.
When individuals can be forcibly disappeared and subjected to arbitrary detention and deprived of fair trial guarantees without consequence, the integrity of international human rights protections is called into question. Urgent diplomatic action is needed to ensure Abdulrahman’s fundamental rights are upheld and that he is safely reunited with his family.
Given the seriousness of this case, we respectfully urge your immediate intervention to:
Demand the disclosure of  Abdulrahman’s whereabouts, conditions of detention, well-being and legal status.
Ensure access to legal representation by facilitating regular communication between Abdulrahman and his chosen international legal counsel and family.
Seek assurances of his well-being, including regular consular visits from the Turkish embassy, as he holds Turkish citizenship.
Guarantee due process by ensuring transparency in legal proceedings, fair trial protections, and the right of all relevant parties to testify.
Call for his immediate and unconditional release so he may return safely to Turkey, where he resides with his daughters.
We urge you to utilise diplomatic actions and every available mechanism, public and private pressure, trade and diplomatic leverage, and coordination with international partners to secure Abdulrahman’s immediate release.

Your support in this matter will reaffirm a commitment to justice and the rule of law, and it will determine whether transnational repression is confronted or allowed to spread unchecked.

Signatories:
@EgyptWide
@egyptian_front
@EuroMedRights
@Legal_Agenda
@EIPR
@EgyptianHRForum
@ESOHumanRights
@omctorg
@TimepDC
@AITAS2004
@GulfCentre4HR
@MideastDC
@EDAC_EN
@MENA_Rights
@rpegyorg
@fairsqprojects
@amnesty
@pen_int
@hrw
@HuMENAorg

Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR)
Arab Center for Law and Society Studies (ACLSS)
Cedar Centre for Legal Studies (CCLS)
Democratic Diwan
Egyptian Coordination of Rights and Freedoms
Egyptian Front for Human Rights
Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) |
Najda for Human Rights
Palestinian Jurists Association
People in Need (PIN)
REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression
Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
Unity For Democracy (UFD).
The Arab Center for Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP)

#FreeAbdulrahman
#WhereIsAbdulrahman
#StopTransnationalRepression
#PoetryIsNotACrime

[Yahoo Finance @YahooFinance]

Under Armour founder Kevin Plank is returning as CEO, the company announced last night.

@BrianSozzi gives insight behind the move and Wall Street's reaction to the controversial founder taking back the helm:

[Tracy Chapman @tchapmanonline]

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

[NBCU Academy @NBCUAcademy]

.@WomensNetNBCU #HerStory Media Spotlight: Jill Billante, @NBCNewsNow Exec Producer!

"Be your own best advocate. Anyone beginning their career might feel intimidated to speak up or admit they need help, but there's real power in sharing your ideas and asking for what you need."

[Sonia Moghe @soniamoghe]

The public (incl. journalists) have never been allowed into the courtroom for R. Kelly’s trial.

I wrote about how we have been trying to follow the proceedings on flat screen TVs with grainy security camera video of the trial from two floors away.

https://t.co/cm0ILTtaav

[Sonia Moghe @soniamoghe]

R. Kelly’s federal trial begins in Brooklyn today. For some accusers, it is a second chance at justice.
https://t.co/wroQVMu0bW

[Sonia Moghe @soniamoghe]

Some professional news: I’ve been promoted to reporter at CNN!

I first worked with CNN in college as a “student correspondent” in 2004 and went through my reporting career always dreaming of coming back. I came back as a producer in 2014 and am thrilled to be reporting again!

[ESPN @espn]

Correct answer = NOTHING

@Simone_Biles ❤️

[Ayanna Pressley @AyannaPressley]

She already won. That part. #SimoneBiles

[Grateful Dead @GratefulDead]

On this day in 2015, Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 years of the Grateful Dead concluded at @SoldierField in Chicago.❤️💀

Photo by @jayblakesberg.

[Brian Vitagliano @bvitag]

El Chapo's wife pleads guilty to federal drug trafficking charges. https://t.co/kpAmzpknim @soniamoghe @MariaSantanaCNN

[CNN Breaking News @cnnbrk]

Jurors have reached a verdict in Derek Chauvin's trial over the death of George Floyd. It's expected to be announced shortly.
https://t.co/JljgSVvOHS

[Sonia Moghe @soniamoghe]

The @NYSComptroller sent @NewYorkStateAG a referral on April 13 asking her office to investigate “indictable” offenses related to the “use of property, services or resources of the state” for Gov. Cuomo’s book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

[CNN Politics @CNNPolitics]

New York lawmakers promise a wide-ranging and lengthy impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo https://t.co/lzFdLb6etS

[Sonia Moghe @soniamoghe]

Cy Vance’s announcement that he won’t seek re-election as @ManhattanDA puts the spotlight on who will be elected to take over the investigation into former President Trump and his business.

Our story:

https://t.co/IiNkTf5PS4

[Sonia Moghe @soniamoghe]

Exclusive: @NYCBarAssn is urging a state Attorney Grievance Committee, which can recommend disbarring attorneys, to investigate complaints against Rudy Giuliani for allegedly violating rules of professional conduct for attorneys.

https://t.co/ZNquiQhZVH

[Jeremy Herb @jeremyherb]

Donald Trump Jr. was deposed as part of the Washington, DC, attorney general's lawsuit alleging the misuse of Trump inaugural funds, per @soniamoghe https://t.co/c66YhMGdvG

[New Jersey @NJGov]

LEGALIZED IT