Kamala Harris vs. The Nerd Reich of Silicon Valley

When I started this newsletter, I did not expect it to have many readers. As I said in my first post, I was mostly writing it as notes to myself. The idea was to keep a public record of some of the changes I was seeing in local Bay Area politics. But that has all changed now.

In 2024, my worlds are colliding. The tech figures who sparked the concerns that led to the creation of this newsletter are now trying to get their man, J.D. Vance, into the White House. To achieve this, they will have to defeat Kamala Harris, a leader with whom I also have a history. I briefly served as her communications director and senior advisor when she was California attorney general. And since returning to journalism in 2018, I have been one of her sharpest critics. (In addition, I am writing you today from Kentucky, where I spent my teen years and have lots of family. So if Harris picks Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as her running mate, this race will be a strange trifecta of my expert interests.)

To be clear, I think Harris is the only qualified candidate in the race and see her victory as essential to protecting American freedom and democracy. I say more about that here in my interview with Ari Shapiro on NPR's All Things Considered.

I have been getting a ton of interview requests about Harris, but I'm a lot more interested in talking about The Nerd Reich, which I view as a serious threat. Fortunately, there is budding national interest in that, too. This week, I was a guest on the NPR show On Point, where the subject was the New Right and tech plutocracy (my segment begins at minute 22, but I encourage you to listen to the entire show):

JD Vance and the rise of the ‘New Right’

Techno libertarians, white nationalists and JD Vance are all linked to a movement known as the ‘New Right.’ What is this movement and how has it influenced the Republican candidate for vice president?

WBURClaire Donnelly

(Notes on this interview: I flubbed a couple of lines. Mithril Capital was founded by Peter Thiel, not J.D. Vance (Vance worked there). In addition, Brian Armstrong is the CEO of Coinbase. I accidentally said Bitcoin. D'oh!)

I also did a longer talk – covering both Kamala Harris and the tech plutocrats of Silicon Valley – with Mike Madrid of the Latino Vote Podcast:

‎The Latino Vote: Crypto-mocracy: Silicon Valley’s Vision for Authoritarian Control | The Latino Vote Episode 50 Featuring Gil Duran on Apple Podcasts

‎Show The Latino Vote, Ep Crypto-mocracy: Silicon Valley’s Vision for Authoritarian Control | The Latino Vote Episode 50 Featuring Gil Duran - Jul 26, 2024

Apple Podcasts

And there are more interviews and exciting developments in the works!

To be honest, I'm kind of tired of hearing myself talk at this point. But as one of my favorite journalists and fellow Kentuckians always liked to say, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."

Thank you for reading. And I would like to express massive gratitude to those of you who have opted for paid subscriptions. I'll keep this site paywall-free. But I am always amazed when people decide to plunk down their hard-earned money for a writer. I lift my bourbon glass to you today!

gil