The Newcomer Podcast Inside the Sex Cult That Fooled Silicon Valley
40 snips
Dec 8, 2025 
Ellen Huet, an investigative journalist and Bloomberg writer, dives into her five years of research on OneTaste, a wellness startup that turned into a cautionary tale for Silicon Valley. She reveals how promises of female empowerment blurred into manipulation and cult-like control. Ellen discusses the tech-style growth of OneTaste, its intertwining of sexual teachings with sales pressure, and the mystique surrounding female orgasm that drew many in. This captivating conversation exposes the darker side of self-improvement in modern culture.
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15‑Minute Practice Marketed As Spiritual Breakthrough
- OneTaste sold a 15-minute partnered clitoral-stroking practice called orgasmic meditation as both wellness and spiritual growth.
- The company promised improved sex, relationships, intuition, and connection to a supposed divine erotic energy.
Startup Aesthetics Dressed A Spiritual Product
- OneTaste intentionally mimicked startup and conference culture to scale its mission and appear mainstream in the 2010s.
- The group used TEDx talks, SXSW stages, and large conferences to normalize and spread its teachings.
Wellness Gateways Helped Normalize The Practice
- OneTaste found traction by inserting itself into mainstream wellness, performance, and festival scenes like Burning Man and Goop Health.
- Endorsements and booths at wellness events normalized the practice among seekers and tech-adjacent crowds.
