San Jose mayor Matt Mahan wants to prove he’s not just another ‘Silicon Valley guy.’ Will Californians buy it?

San Jose mayor Matt Mahan had been in The Daily Show hotseat all of 30 seconds when Jon Stewart asked about his startup days. At any other period in recent California history, this question might have been a layup for the California gubernatorial hopeful, a chance to talk about Causes, the app he grew to nearly 200 million users across more than 150 countries, or Brigade, the voter activism platform he subsequently cofounded with Napster’s Sean Parker. But this was March 2026, at a time of apex