Tech Oligarchs & US Politics
From cyber utopia to slush-fund kings
4.4 (10)
34 mins
Explore how tech philanthropy exploded from the 90s' donations to Zuckerberg's billions in science and climate. Understand Silicon Valley's pivot from Obama darlings to Trump allies, pouring millions into his $240M inaugural fund to dissolve antitrust probes from Google to Microsoft.
Ep 1:
Welcome to the Tech Oligarchy
From a lyricist's cyberspace dream to Trump's billionaire dinner table, Bradley Teller traces how Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's philanthropic image hide a stunning grab for political power.
Ep 2:
The Shadow Presidents of Silicon Valley
Facebook's secret voting experiments and Elon Musk's rise as "shadow president" reveal how tech titans turned from Democratic allies into Trump's most powerful new partners.
Ep 3:
Buying Democracy, One Donation at a Time
Million-dollar inauguration checks buy vanished lawsuits and tariff exemptions, while a chilling Silicon Valley dinner reveals plans for a technocracy that discards democracy entirely.
Ep 4:
The Hackers Who Conquered Government
Venture capital and hacker idealism merged into something monstrous—now tech oligarchs reshape global politics, threatening democracy itself as citizens race to respond.
Discussions (11)
Gail
Level 7 · 9 mo agoPayPal is way under 300B.
Christian
Level 8 · 9 mo agoHearing about donations making lawsuits disappear really sounds like pay to win mechanics. Shame democracy is just another stat for them to optimize. Glad I stay off Twitter these days lol
Louis
Level 8 · 8 mo agoThe podcast is right about the pivot. Trump went from suing Big Tech to being their pet because the guy has no principles, just a massive price tag.
