Exclusive Stanford Course on Ruling the World Included Phoebe Gates and Helped Build Startup Networks

Reports this month have highlighted an exclusive Stanford course on ruling the world that included Phoebe Gates among its select participants and helped build startup networks for alumni. The unofficial 10-week seminar, formally titled So You Think You Can Rule the World and known as Rule, admits only 12 students each winter quarter through referrals and rigorous interviews.

Founded by Justin Lewis-Weber, a 2020 Stanford graduate in aeronautics and astronautics, the class examines power structures and incentive frameworks without offering university credit.

The Secretive Selection and Curriculum of Rule

Entry to the course requires a referral from a former student, with the screening process often beginning the previous spring and concluding by autumn.

Instructor Justin Lewis-Weber interviews candidates at Coupa Cafe on campus, probing their ambitions with questions about life purpose and worldview before selecting six men and six women.

Candidates must also recommend their most accomplished male and female peers.

Sessions meet weekly in Escondido Village Graduate Residence for Socratic discussions after short presentations, covering topics including multipolar traps, the prisoner's dilemma and commons problems.

Lewis-Weber has described the aim as understanding 'the underlying incentive structures and frameworks that govern how the world works'.

One former student said the goal was to teach 'how to essentially hack any kind of power structure or bureaucratic structure and get what they want in a system of people'.

Alumni networks are highlighted during selection, with collective net worth said to reach into the billions of dollars according to participants.

Phoebe Gates and the Startup Connections

Phoebe Gates, who graduated in 2024 with a degree in human biology, took part in the class and has since used its network for internal recruiting at Phia, the AI-powered shopping startup she co-founded with Sophia Kianni in 2025.

Former students frequently form businesses together after the course or through introductions by Lewis-Weber, who hosts reunions at his Bay Area home.

Gates' recruitment efforts through Rule contacts underscore the lasting professional ties among the group.

Phia has raised a total of $43.5 million (£32 million) in funding from venture firms including Notable Capital, Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins as well as celebrity investors.

There is no evidence linking the course directly to any practices at the firm, which has faced separate allegations over affiliate marketing commissions.

Lewis-Weber continues to mentor participants after they leave Stanford and maintains contact across New York and San Francisco.

Alumni Networks and Ongoing Influence

The course's emphasis on high-agency individuals has produced collaborations ranging from sensory augmentation projects for pilots to work on reversible cryopreservation for organs among classmates.

Participants report the discussions encourage ambitious problem-solving and identifying vulnerabilities in existing systems beyond conventional career paths.

Lewis-Weber, who started the seminar during his junior year to connect high-achieving students, still teaches the class while pursuing his own ventures.

As reports circulate in August 2026, the invitation-only format remains unchanged, with an expectation of confidentiality among members though it is not strictly enforced.

The class continues to operate without official university listing or enrolment code, drawing continued interest for its role in connecting future founders within Silicon Valley's broader ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship.