‘If we don’t fight back, we don’t have a future’: the journalist taking on the ‘tech fascists’ of Silicon Valley
As Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and their peers have grown richer and more influential, Gil Durán argues they have all but abandoned democracy – and found the perfect government to enable them In April, Gil Durán was permanently banned from Elon Musk’s X for posting just two words. Durán was responding to a post from the tech company Palantir outlining its 22‑point “technological manifesto” , which…
In a world where tech titans like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have amassed vast wealth and influence, journalist Gil Durán contends they have effectively abandoned democratic principles. Instead, these tech moguls seem to have found a new ally in government, enabling their agenda. In April, Durán faced a permanent ban from Elon Musk’s platform, X, for a mere two-word response to a Palantir post.
This manifesto-style announcement endorsed American "hard power," championed Western culture, advocated for AI weapons, dismissed inclusivity, and called for national service. Durán’s response, simply "TLDR: Fascism," did not violate X’s terms of service as he explains during a call from San Francisco. This raises questions about the true nature of Musk’s self-proclaimed stance on free speech.
The incident occurred shortly after Durán tweeted about his forthcoming book, "The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy." The core of Durán's argument is that big tech, once considered a friend, has now become a dangerous adversary. This shift is driven by its billionaire owners who have seized both economic and political power, steering the planet towards their own dystopian visions.
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