Silicon Valley’s Extortion Letter to Democrats

In an unusual op-ed in the Washington Post, a former Palantir official named Wendy R. Anderson warns Democrats: bow down to Silicon Valley oligarchs or lose the future:

A political coalition is forming around the people turning America’s technological innovation into national strength—and Democrats must decide whether to lead it or lose it.

Silicon Valley, writes Anderson, is drifting away from the Democratic Party “not because of ideology, but because the party is not seen as capable of transforming innovation into strategic advantage.”

This is a strange thing to say at a moment when most of Silicon Valley has openly aligned with MAGA fascism. Ideology certainly plays a role as Trump openly indulges his authoritarian impulses without a peep from any tech executive. And, as I wrote last week, tech venture capitalists have openly embraced an apocalypse capitalism that fuses business, faith, and the state—the classic cocktail of fascism.

Anderson—a former senior vice president of national security at Palantir who also served in the Obama administration—doesn’t mention any of this. Instead, she claims Democrats have a mysterious “suspicion” of technology that is forcing the billionaires of Silicon Valley to side with MAGA fascism.

“Polling shows Democrats are likely to view major tech firms as too powerful and needing stricter oversight,” she writes.

Hmm. What could possibly make anyone distrust Silicon Valley? Was it the massive expansion of the surveillance state? The promotion of algorithms that divide society and harm children? Or the expansion of AI technologies that, in the openly embraced fantasies of tech moguls, will kill most jobs? The rush to get contracts from a fascist administration that has unleashed masked men with guns to terrorize the populace?

What’s even more ridiculous is that the Democratic Party has been quite subservient to tech. No party has done more to bolster Silicon Valley, and it was liberals—not conservatives—whose embrace of electric vehicles gave Elon Musk his power. Now he is on his way to becoming a trillionaire, having dealt great damage the US government with DOGE, and after performing a Nazi salute during Trump’s inaugural festivities.

But Anderson doesn’t mention any of that. Politics and morality are not her concern. She only cares that Democrats aren’t being more supportive of tech interests.

“When Democrats treat companies as politically toxic, especially those supporting national security in the United States, they alienate the builders trying to serve and advance the country,” she writes.

“You can debate its politics, but not the Trump team’s clarity,” she wrote in a follow-up on X.

In other words: ignore the fascism, admire the execution. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect specimen of the technocratic mindset laid bare: process over principle, efficiency over ethics, power over democracy.

To remedy Silicon Valley’s hurt feelings, Anderson says Democrats must launch a $50 billion “emergency innovation fund” to shove even more money into Silicon Valley’s overstuffed craw and pretty much give tech moguls everything they want, from mergers to deregulation.

Oh, and she also calls for Democrats to “Designate 15 federal innovation zones with radically shortened permitting, procurement and review timelines.”

Hello, Network State!

Yesterday, I posted a snarky response to her op-ed on X:

Thank god someone is finally standing up for poor, marginalized billionaires and Palantir! Democrats have been so mean to Silicon Valley, having created it and all.

This drew a response from Anderson, and some back and forth:

Anderson: Nothing like having your own come after you …

Me: You ain't seen nothin yet. There will need to be massive and severe accountability for Silicon Valley's complicity with MAGA fascism. Palantir must be ripped out of our democracy like a cancer. How dare you play the victim.

Anderson: All best, Gil.

Me: I noticed you didn't dispute my characterization. But you can't, now can you?

Anderson: You seem to want attention via this forum, not a real discussion. Happy to discuss over the phone.

Me: Happy to discuss over the phone, since I am writing a book on the subject. But I don’t see why you can’t address the subject in this forum, since you wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post. Simple enough question: Why is Silicon Valley being openly complicit in fascism? Why should Democrats bow down as tech funds and supports the massive corruption, grift, and crime of Trump? Where are all of the moral voices of clarity in Silicon Valley?

With that, Anderson blocked me on X. So, it doesn’t look like our phone call will be taking place. But her op-ed exposes a key strategy of Silicon Valley in this fascist era.

In my talks over the past year, I have issued a specific warning about the future. The greatest risk won’t necessarily be the Republican Party, which has sold its soul to MAGA and Silicon Valley fascism. Instead, I think the greater danger is that tech fascism will also corrupt the (easily corruptible) Democratic Party.

Tech interests have already bought off a large swath of the political consulting class in California. Democratic strategists are leading nationwide political efforts for crypto. In California, many of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top political advisors are now working for Silicon Valley interests, which may explain why Newsom–positioning himself as a hero of the resistance—has little to say about tech’s role in MAGA fascism. The governor of California could play a powerful role in naming and shaming the wealthy interests underwriting Trump’s attack on democracy, but he remains silent.

Yet, as Anderson’s op-ed makes clear, mere cowardice won’t suffice. Nevermind the grave misdeeds and collusion of Silicon Valley in the second Trump administration—the Democratic Party must offer amnesty, tribute, and absolute surrender to our would-be tech overlords. Or else.

You can read the entire op-ed at this gift link: “A Suspicion From 2016 Is Becoming Democrats’ Monster.”

Let me know what you think.

As Trump Falls, JD Vance Rises

As the MAGA coalition begins to fracture amid Epstein Files revelations and a neo-Nazi takeover, JD Vance is waiting in the wings. And that’s terrifying.

Last week, I spoke to writer Thor Benson about the danger posed by Vance:

JD Vance's influences—Curtis Yarvin and Peter Thiel—are men who believe the United States of America is an outdated concept and should be replaced with an authoritarian form of government. The fact that Vance has openly cited Yarvin as an inspiration and that Thiel is the person most responsible for creating Vance as a politician should be viewed as a national emergency.

Most of my comments are included in the free portion of the piece, “We Need To Talk About JD,” which is paywalled:

We need to talk about JD

Not nearly enough news coverage has focused on JD Vance’s influences and his extreme views.

madnessThor Benson