On this edition of Your Call, we speak with journalist Jacob Silverman, author of Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley.
Silverman tells the story of the political awakening and radicalization of a cabal of tech billionaires and trillionaires and their descent into ideological extremism.
He writes: In the 2024 election, tech’s bias for action – for moving fast and breaking things – met Donald Trump’s complete disregard for what we euphemistically call “norms.” Together they changed the political process with shocking velocity, merging corporate and government power, personal and private interests. In about five months on the campaign trail and six months in office as a “special government employee,” Elon Musk enacted an extraordinary degree of disruption, becoming a dominant political force during what I believe to be America’s slide into authoritarianism.
What is their endgame and what can people do to take on these tech oligarchs?
Guest:
Jacob Silverman, reporter for The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, author of Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, andTerms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant Connection, and co-author of Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud
Resources:
Compact: How Tech Learned to Love the State
The Washington Post: Musk-backed PACs have spent over $400 million on advertising
USA Today: Abbott, Musk emails spark a lawsuit as the governor race tightens
Reuters: Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink service used by Ukraine's military, WSJ reports
The Guardian: ‘Headed for technofascism’: the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley
The New York Times: Elon Musk Says SpaceX and Tesla Are Exploring a Merger
