Peter Thiel-Backed Startup Shifts From AI Arbitration to Journalist Ranking System

Peter Thiel’s venture originally launched as “Objection,” a platform that would let subjects of news stories pay for AI-driven arbitrations against reporters. After its first tribunal in April targeted *The Hollywood Reporter* for coverage of a Sackler heir, the company rebranded as The Primary. The new model abandons enforcement in favor of a public scoreboard that rates outlets and individual journalists using a large-language-model-derived metric set—including source attribution, coverage tone, and right-of-reply.

Hollywood Reporter

Founder Aron D’Souza, also known for the “Enhanced Games” and the legal strategy behind Hulk Hogan’s privacy suit against Gawker, said the tribunal proved ineffective because verdicts only alter behavior after damage occurs and only for parties with resources to litigate. He argued that journalism lacks a measurable discipline, leaving quality work unrewarded. The shift to a ranking system is presented as “the instrument that’s missing,” aiming to make journalistic rigor visible and portable for career advancement.

Hollywood Reporter

The Primary’s AI evaluates a curated pool of media entities. Early results place Jeff Bezos’s *The Washington Post* and David Ellison’s *CBS News* at the top, while the *Daily Mail* receives the lowest aggregate score. Among low-scoring individuals are columnist Cindy Adams (*New York Post*), Mark Halperin (*Daily Mail*), and *New York Times* AI-beat reporters Mike Isaacs and Cade Metz. The company remains “pre-revenue,” with its monetization strategy still undecided.

Hollywood Reporter

D’Souza explained that the tribunal “worked” but only changed behavior at the margin, prompting the move to a scoring model that could influence pay and promotion. He described the new business as pre-revenue and emphasized that the scoreboard will give veteran reporters a “portable, public record” of their work, enabling editors and competitors to assess credibility.

Hollywood Reporter

• “many journalists are more powerful than billionaires,” — Aron D’Souza

Hollywood Reporter

• “I can’t tell you how many billionaires and CEOs have called me in absolute tears about their lives being destroyed by one article.” — Aron D’Souza

Hollywood Reporter

• “This is less of a pivot than it looks from outside,” — Aron D’Souza

Hollywood Reporter

• “The tribunal worked,” — Aron D’Souza

Hollywood Reporter

• “A reporter who’s spent fifteen years doing the slower, harder, better-sourced work has never had a portable, public record proving it — something they can carry to an editor, a proprietor, or a competitor,” — Aron D’Souza

Hollywood Reporter