Story perspectives

Student Author Forces Stanford Resignation, Wins Polk, Film Deal

5/20/2026

Summary

Theo Baker Exposé

Theo Baker ’26 wrote a book that forced Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne to resign in July 2023.
He became the youngest-ever George Polk Award recipient for his freshman reporting on Tessier-Lavigne.
From 2013 to 2024 Stanford’s endowment grew $9.9 billion, raising revenue to nearly twice Harvard’s and outpacing the budgets of 116 countries.
Film rights to the memoir have been sold, with reviewers noting its blend of investigative reporting, memoir and ethnography.

Summary

Stanford Fuels Billionaires

Stanford claimed ownership of student and faculty patents in the 1970s, driving university wealth.
The policy birthed Hewlett-Packard, Google, Palantir and Nvidia, linking campus invention to Silicon Valley.
The Thiel Fellowship offers $250,000 to under-22 students who quit college, reinforcing a rapid-rich myth.
Stanford reports that a professor has amassed over $20 billion from startups and that President Marc Tessier-Lavigne’s net worth exceeds $500 million, showing academia’s lucrative ties to commerce.

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Theo Baker Exposé

Theo Baker ’26 wrote a book that forced Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne to resign in July 2023.
He became the youngest-ever George Polk Award recipient for his freshman reporting on Tessier-Lavigne.
From 2013 to 2024 Stanford’s endowment grew $9.9 billion, raising revenue to nearly twice Harvard’s and outpacing the budgets of 116 countries.
Film rights to the memoir have been sold, with reviewers noting its blend of investigative reporting, memoir and ethnography.

1 / 2