The Key to Understanding the Disturbing Relationship Between Silicon Valley and the Trump Administration
You could not ask for a more complete and hair-raising compendium of the insane things that Silicon Valley moguls have said and advocated for than journalist Gil Durán’s new book, The Nerd Reich. The book, based on a fiery newsletter Durán publishes about technology and the San Francisco Bay Area, identifies such billionaires as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel as the spiders at the center of a web of “philosophers,” tech evangelists, start-up founders, and—most disturbingly—politicians who subscribe to a set of authoritarian ideas and plans for the future based on half-baked theories and an incomplete understanding of how the world works.
Reported by 1 outlet — Slate. See all sources ↓
You could not ask for a more complete and hair-raising compendium of the insane things that Silicon Valley moguls have said and advocated for than journalist Gil Durán’s new book, The Nerd Reich. The book, based on a fiery newsletter Durán publishes about technology and the San Francisco Bay Area, identifies such billionaires as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel as the spiders at the center of a web of “philosophers,” tech evangelists, start-up founders, and—most disturbingly—politicians who subscribe to a set of authoritarian ideas and plans for the future based on half-baked theories and an incomplete understanding of how the world works. There’s not a lot of original reporting in The Nerd Reich, but Durán assembles relevant info from scores of journalists and scholars, as well as providing a valuable dive into the fringy sources for some of the Valley’s most menacing ideas. Thiel, the supervillain in this story, was profoundly shaped by a 1997 book by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg, The Sovereign Individual.
Read the full report at Slate ↗
Why it matters
A world story we're tracking; its significance and source trust firm up as more outlets confirm it.
- What's the story?
- You could not ask for a more complete and hair-raising compendium of the insane things that Silicon Valley moguls have said and advocated for than journalist Gil Durán’s new book, The Nerd Reich. The book, based on a fiery newsletter Durán publishes about technology and the San Francisco Bay Area, identifies such billionaires as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel as the spiders at the center of a web of “philosophers,” tech evangelists, start-up founders, and—most disturbingly—politicians who subscribe to a set of authoritarian ideas and plans for the future based on half-baked theories and an incomplete understanding of how the world works.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 11m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card1 outlet1CoverageScouting report
The Key to Understanding the Disturbing Relationship Between Silicon Valley and the Trump Administration
Sources1TypeCoverageSlate