
I Went Undercover As a 'Signature Collector' for California’s Wealth TaxMar 5
an exercise in investigative journalism™, volunteer activism, and getting ghosted outside trader joe’s
Apr 1, 2025

Earlier this month, Brown University sophomore Alex Shieh lit the internet on fire after asking the school’s small army of non-instructional staff to justify their jobs, receiving coverage from Newsweek and Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. Today in Pirate Wires, he writes about the inspiration behind his project — and its aftermath.