When the White House invite list for "top tech executives" got out yesterday, a few names stood out for the wrong reason. What would former Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, who stepped down in July after layoffs, a stock price free fall, shuttered games and a exodus of executives add to a discussion Healthcare.gov and NSA surveillance?

OpenSecrets suspects his invitation was based less on merit and more on money:

One thing that sets [Pincus] apart: He donated $1 million to Priorities USA Action, the super PAC that backed Obama in the election. He also gave an additional $104,000 to Democratic causes in 2012 — including the maximum of $30,800 to the Democratic National Committee.

He also got to sit next to Obama.

Two of the other head-scratchers on the list—Marissa Mayer and Uber investor Shervin Pishevar—both happened to be bundlers for President Obama, adds OpenSecrets:

Along with his wife, Anahita, Pishevar has donated more than $122,000 to Democrats, including Obama's presidential campaign and the campaign of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). More significantly, Pishevar is a bundler — one of the elite fundraisers who "bundled" campaign contributions for Obama's presidential campaign.

According to OpenSecrets.org data, in the 2012 campaign, Pishevar was a top-tier harvester of cash, gathering up at least $500,000 for the Obama campaign.

Bundling scads of funding behind-the-scenes can bump up your stature? Actually that sounds just like Silicon Valley.

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[Image via AP]