A Silicon Valley Genocide
World's First Trillionaire is Killing the World's Poorest Children
Last week, Elon Musk threatened Rep. Ro Khanna for saying that an estimated 4.5 million children will die as a result of Musk feeding USAID “into the woodchipper.”
But the statement hurts because it’s true. By January, over 700,000 people had already died preventable deaths due to the USAID cuts, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota:
One year after the Trump administration began its dismantling of USAID, a model that tracks the impact of USAID funding cuts on global disease prevention programs estimates that more than 762,000 people have died as a result of those cuts, including more than 500,000 children.
These deaths are the inevitable outcome of slashing life-saving aid programs. With the wave of a chainsaw, the richest man in the world condemned the poorest people in the world to death. Then he became a “trillionaire.”
This is like a 21st-century version of a Greek myth. Either Elon Musk is doomed—or humanity is. Musk’s legacy won’t be electric cars, spaceships or satellites. Musk’s legacy is dead children.
Last week, I joined Krystal Ball and Kyle Kulinski to discuss the USAID cuts, which I call a “Silicon Valley Genocide” in my book. We talk about Silicon Valley’s fantasy of replacing human beings with AI, a nightmare scenario that would render the majority of us economically useless and in need of aid. And judging by what the tech billionaires did to USAID, we won’t be getting any of their “abundance.”
This interview crossed 124,000 views in under two days. And yes—the thumbnail gives Musk devil horns. Watch it and tell me they aren’t earned.
Click to Watch: Why I Call the USAID Cuts a Silicon Valley Genocide.
Audio Version: Click here to listen to the episode on Substack.
Coming Soon: The Nerd Reich book
This is only a peek at what you’ll get in my forthcoming book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and The War On Democracy. It details how a cult of billionaires is chasing a self-fulfilling prophecy of societal collapse.
Early sales make a huge difference. If you can, please pre-order it today!
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Publishers Weekly: “This transfixing debut from journalist Durán investigates the antidemocratic ideologies espoused by tech billionaires linked to the second Trump administration ... It’s an ominous look at an insular elite arrayed against American democracy.”
Here’s what some amazing writers are saying about The Nerd Reich:
“Gil Durán is an essential voice on this technofascist moment—where it comes from and where we are going.” —Carole Cadwalladr, investigative journalist, The Nerve
“A clear and compelling account of the threats posed by technofascism to democracies everywhere.” —Ruth Ben-Ghiat, historian and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
“Reader take note: Gil Durán is a deep, thoughtful, and expansive observer of events that shape the current and future of our American democracy.” —George Lakoff, author of The All New Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
“The Nerd Reich is a clarion warning about the rise of techno-fascist sociopaths who seek to profit off of our collective misery. In clear, compelling and meticulously-researched detail, Gil Durán sounds the alarm about this incestuous cabal of broligarchs. He brings the receipts and the righteous rage.” —Wajahat Ali, The Left Hook
