WIRED Editor: Tech Billionaires Threaten US Democracy
“We’re witnessing, in real-time, a profound consolidation of power and collusion among political and tech elites—the ruling class of this country, and the world—wherein the tools and technologies that this industry has built, and continues to build, can now be deployed in service of an authoritarian regime.”
In an interview with media reporter Oliver Darcy of the Status newsletter, Katie Drummond of WIRED says it’s impossible to separate Silicon Valley from Trump’s authoritarian project.
“Ultimately, this era in history is a WIRED story: The United States’ authoritarian turn, aided and abetted by the tech industry’s complicity,” said Drummond, the magazine’s editorial director, “and that’s how we’re covering it.”
“Under Drummond’s leadership, WIRED has gone directly at the Masters of the Universe, from Elon Musk to Mark Zuckerberg to Jeff Bezos, treating them not as visionary entrepreneurs, but as political actors shaping the future of our democracy and civilization at large,” writes Darcy, adding that Drummond “does not believe WIRED can separate tech from authoritarianism.”
This is the main theme of the Nerd Reich newsletter, so it’s refreshing to hear a top editor say it. A lot of otherwise intelligent journalists are still dragging their feet when it comes to recognizing tech’s central role in the war on US democracy. This will be remembered as a very dark period in journalism, a moment when most political editors and reporters could not muster the ability or the will to tell people the truth.
It may seem strange to say a handful of tech billionaires have decided to help overthrow our system of government, but that is the grim reality. If they succeed, it could mean the decline of the USA and the end of the modern liberal democratic order. It will then be among the most consequential political stories in the nation’s history.
So, it deserves more coverage than it’s getting. This is a fascinating and multifaceted issue with major implications for business, politics, the planet, and the future of civilization.
Drummond thinks major publications need to step up their coverage of tech.
“Imagine if outlets like The WaPo and POLITICO put the same number of reporters and resourcing against Silicon Valley as they do Washington DC,” she said. “This is an industry worth trillions and trillions and trillions of dollars. It is stunningly, world-bendingly powerful.”
Amen. Now, please go write the editors of your favorite publications, share Drummond’s interview, and demand that they treat this story with the gravity it requires.
You can read the entire interview by clicking here. It is likely paywalled, but you should be able to read it for free by entering your email.
Guardian Meets Nerd Reich
Last week, I did an interview with Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian about—you guessed it—how a group of tech billionaires are working with Trump to kill democracy.
I also shared my thoughts how how tech money is starting to corrupt Democratic Party politicians. And I offer some extended thoughts on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest meme crusade.
You can listen to the entire interview here:
Jonathan Freedland
Update On The Nerd Reich Book
I’m currently immersed in research and writing for my book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and The War On Global Democracy. Forgive me if my posts get a bit shorter and punchier for the time being.
Every day, I feel the urgent need to log in and write up the exciting (and disturbing) things I’m learning as I dig into the soil of tech fascism. But that’s why I’m writing a book—to tell that fuller story.
It’s an exciting challenge. My career has mostly required me to write short pieces—some as short as 30 seconds—that communicate clearly and effectively. So it’s strange to see tens of thousands of words piling up on my screen. But I’m in high spirits despite the dark subject, and I’m probing deeper levels of the story that I wasn’t fully aware of when I began writing it.
Can’t wait to share it with you. And now, back to the manuscript...
