SHANGHAI, China, Far from the Chicago area where he grew up, American tech billionaire Neville Roy Singham now lives in Shanghai. In his early 70s, Singham, who sold his IT consulting company Thoughtworks for $785 million in 2017, sits at the center of a widening dispute over foreign influence, political funding, and alleged connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Singham calls himself a socialist and has said he’s admired Maoist ideas since his early years in activist circles. From his base in Shanghai, he runs businesses that critics say overlap with Chinese state interests. A series of investigations, including a widely cited 2023 New York Times report, describes him as a key force behind an international network.
That network is accused of routing hundreds of millions of dollars through U.S. nonprofits to support causes that match Beijing’s view of the world. It also reportedly promotes defenses of China’s positions on human rights, Xinjiang, Taiwan, and global affairs.
Opponents say the same funding stream supports far-left groups in the United States and abroad. They argue it helps spread anti-American messaging, backs pro-Palestinian campus activism, and feeds protest movements that sometimes turn disorderly.
In this telling, the operation mixes real concerns like poverty, inequality, and anti-imperialism with messaging that mirrors CCP talking points, using social justice campaigns as a channel for foreign propaganda.
Singham Operates Through Shanghai
Singham has described himself as a communist, and his background in activism goes back decades. Reports often point to his early involvement with the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, a Black nationalist and Maoist group.
Observers also say he appears to operate in Shanghai with little interference, which they read as a sign of support or protection from the CCP. He has shared office space with groups such as the Maku Group, a media organization that promotes “the miracles that China has created on the world stage.”
He has also attended CCP workshops on promoting the party abroad and joined ventures tied to Chinese local governments. Some of these projects focus on anti-poverty messaging that lines up with state priorities.
Singham denies taking direction from any government or political party. Even so, lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns. House committees, including Oversight and Ways and Means, have opened inquiries and requested records tied to nonprofits linked to him, including The People’s Forum in New York.
Reporting has said Singham sent more than $20 million to related groups through shell companies and donor-advised funds, sometimes without clear public disclosure. Some organizations connected to the network have faced claims that they should register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Those claims have fueled calls for Justice Department reviews and potential Treasury sanctions.
Far Left Radical Organizations
The reported funding network also reaches groups such as CODEPINK (co-founded by Singham’s wife, activist Jodie Evans), the ANSWER Coalition, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and media outlets abroad like NewsClick in India and Brasil de Fato in Brazil.
These groups have been tied to protests that include anti-ICE actions and campus demonstrations against U.S. foreign policy. In South Africa, reporting has said money supported training schools and political parties that blend left-wing goals with pro-China positions.
In the United States, critics have linked parts of the network to unrest in cities such as Los Angeles and Minneapolis, saying organizers mobilized quickly through connected groups.
Conservative outlets have pushed the story hard. Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News has repeatedly pointed to Singham as a behind-the-scenes donor working from overseas to weaken American stability. On shows and radio segments, O’Reilly and guests have described him as a major force behind protest energy.
One discussion on Mark Simone’s program called out what it framed as limited attention from mainstream news. NewsNation coverage has also described how Singham’s wealth, built through Thoughtworks and its work with clients like Microsoft and major banks, now helps support a wide web of nonprofit groups. Critics say the money helps promote messages they view as divisive and aligned with the CCP.
Shaped by Marxist politics
Singham’s shift from software executive to political donor did not happen overnight. Born in 1954 to a Sri Lankan academic father, he studied economics and built Thoughtworks into a global agile consulting firm.
After the 2017 sale, he moved to China, married Evans, and focused more on giving shaped by Marxist politics. Critics say the structure of the network adds to suspicion, including reports of nonprofits using UPS Store addresses and layered transfers that make the money harder to track.
With tensions rising between Washington and Beijing, Singham’s story has become a case study in worries about foreign influence on domestic activism. House Republicans, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Oversight Chairman James Comer, have pressed for records and urged steps such as asset freezes. They describe the activity as part of a CCP “Strategy of Sowing Discord” meant to exploit divisions inside the United States.
Supporters paint Singham as a sincere backer of anti-poverty and anti-war efforts, and they say he’s not controlled by the CCP. Critics respond that the paper trail, shared office arrangements, and reported participation in party workshops point to a close, mutually helpful relationship that serves Beijing’s soft-power goals.
It’s still unclear whether any legal action will follow. Either way, the controversy highlights a newer kind of influence campaign, a U.S. citizen who made his fortune in American business and now works from China while shaping political messaging back in the United States. As congressional probes move forward, the full reach of Singham’s role in radical politics may become easier to see.
