Press and Headlines

In a more recent example, activist Ian Madrigal upstaged the testimony of Equifax's CEO by dressing up as Monopoly Man and mugging with their monocle and sackful of cash during a 2017 Senate hearing on the company’s data breach.

Often the most talked about moments during tech hearings happen outside of testimony. A protester dressed as Monopoly Man stole the show during Google chief executive Sundar Pichai's Capitol Hill testimony in 2018.

The rally began with a satirical performance by Ian Madrigal, known as the “Monopoly Man,” that showed how billionaires and banks would profit from the elimination of the CFPB. 

An open letter, which organizers encourage those who agree with to sign—it recently passed the 4,000 signature mark—lists a number of concerns with Buttigieg’s candidacy.

Queers Against Pete, a collective run by queer people from across the country, released an open letter on Jan. 30 expressing opposition to Buttigieg, asserting that the “LGBTQIA community deserves better than Pete.”

Queers Against Pete was born out of frustration over Buttigieg’s policies, like his lack of support of free college, and his actions as South Bend mayor, such as how he handled the shooting of black resident Eric Logan by a white police officer.

“Some have touted former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s openly gay identity as proof of progress in our politics,” the letter reads. “However, being gay is not enough to earn the support of LGBTQIA communities.”

Ian Madrigal speaks with Ian Masters Media on KPFK 90.7 FM about the corruption of the Democratic primary by billionaire candidates running vanity campaigns.

On 23 October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg found himself under a double attack within the hallowed walls of Washington DC’s Capitol Building.

The 'Monopoly Man', a creative activist, lawyer & media strategist, had gone viral for showing up behind millionaire CEOs dressed as the poplar board game character. After trolling Google's Sundar Pichai and Equifax CEO Richard Smith, on 23 October, it was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's turn.

Virginia Heffernan talks with activist lan Madrigal, known for their “cause play” work as the Monopoly Man, about the most potent times to be an activist, reckoning with the feelings that come up in our repressive politics, acknowledging trauma and being honest with your family, and the myths versus the realities of revolution.

And a California congresswoman, who studied under Warren at Harvard Law School, received a visit from the Monopoly Man:

Fast-forward a little over a year, and Schultz again finds himself pelted with digital tomatoes…

"We've seen a media blackout on anything that's not Trump focused. So, I think these kinds of creative actions are a way to take that power back.”

“Visibility is key because it allows trans kids to imagine a future.”