A brand new and harmful faith is rising from the bowels of Silicon Valley. In a current article entitled “How Silicon Valley Grew to become a Heart of Reactionary, Anti-Democratic Politics,” Jacob Silverman tells the story. It’s excerpted from his guide, Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley.*
When Gil Duran, with whom I dialogued final week, opposed the motion, he was slandered by propagandists shouting that he’s financed by George Soros, which he isn’t.
However billionaires shout with very giant megaphones, being house owners of huge media and social media retailers and busy devouring ever extra. (A current rumor suggests Elon Musk desires to purchase MSNBC and exchange Rachel Maddow with Joe Rogan.)
With the current knifing of PBS and NPR by the MAGA world, it will not be lengthy earlier than all of the media tastes and smells like Fox Information. The dumbing down of America might be nearly full.
The New Silicon Valley Faith isn’t your father’s fundamentalism. Jerry Falwell, step apart. This isn’t a faith of church buildings or scriptures however, as certainly one of its preachers, Peter Thiel, makes clear, of apocalypse and finish of occasions and finish of democracy.
And the rise of the antichrist is known as anybody who opposes limitless capitalism, or offers to the poor in Africa, or helps ending fossil fuels, and uniting the world to fight world warming. Thus, Greta Thunberg makes the checklist and Invoice Gates too, for his urging of fellow billionaires to present to the poor—a “left-wing” or “woke” exercise.
This faith lies on the crux of the present shutdown of the federal government—the rationale Democrats received’t associate with the gutting of Medicare, Medicaid, and consequent lack of well being take care of thousands and thousands of working People. Let nobody intrude with the $4 trillion tax-break billionaires have demanded—and obtained from MAGA. Such billionaires and aspiring billionaires don’t really feel they need to must pay taxes that assist the aged (Social Safety), the sick, the poor, or the widespread good.
When one San Francisco enterprise capitalist, Garry Tan, went on a tirade on X, calling for the demise of metropolis supervisors and naming them, 5 obtained demise threats within the mail. Tan apologized, however continued his tirades sans the demise threats.
Duran describes the tech ideology as “corporatist” with startup founders as their heroes or saints. They dismiss a politics that’s “obsessive about wokeness and in opposition to tech’s unrepentant pursuit of innovation and revenue.” Although boasting a way of religiosity, God had been dethroned by AGI—a Higher-than-Human Intelligence they’re busy making.
Some name it “the final invention” (or “second coming”?), which might repair all issues dealing with humanity. Or probably finish all humanity.
Does this clarify a few of Thiel’s preoccupation with the apocalypse? And his considerably ambiguous relationship to the antichrist?
Duran describes these individuals as having form of reached some extent the place they’ve a lot wealth, and a lot egomania, and in some instances, a lot drug-addled pondering, that they resolve they’re going to rule the world and that democracy is an outdated type of software program.
He provides, “These individuals find the money for to be dumb and harmful for a really very long time.”
San Francisco supervisor Aaron Peskin says, they suppose that as a result of they’ve an algorithm and an app, they are often the rulers of the world…Good luck with that.
Donald Trump visited certainly one of their “palatial” San Francisco properties through the 2024 marketing campaign and was urged by Peter Thiel to call J.D. Vance his working mate. And it was finished. “San Francisco grew to become a hotbed of elite resentment and an unlikely supply of money for the Trump marketing campaign.”
Duran observes that these individuals “are throwing a whole lot of gasoline on the fireplace” of political polarization and transferring “everyone’s politics towards the precise” whereas pretending “that they’ve options to the issues” of the world.
Elon Musk spoke to Germany’s AfD—“the closest factor the nation had needed to a Nazi celebration since 1945”—urging them to maneuver past “previous guilt.” AfD completed second within the German election, “the most effective end result for a far-right German political celebration for the reason that Nazis got here to energy.” Vice President Vance additionally spoke to them.
* Jacob Silverman, “How Silicon Valley Grew to become a Heart of Reactionary, Anti-Democratic Politics,” Literary Hub, October 15, 2025.
Banner Picture: “Facepalm Jesus.” Picture by Hans_Hofer on Pixabay.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you consider democracy is outdated? How do you are feeling about Silicon Valley billionaires changing into “the rulers of the world”? And about “AGI”—a greater-than-human-intelligence–that they’re busy making? Does this sound form of déjà vu what with Frankenstein, et al? Myself, I choose a God that made us and the remainder of creation to any god that we make.
Really useful Studying
Trump & The MAGA Motion as Anti-Christ
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Reworking Evil in Soul & Society
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Consciousness with Social Justice
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Presents for the Peoples of the Earth
Authentic Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
