Tech billionaires are systematically dismantling American democratic institutions through unprecedented concentration of wealth and power, with Europe potentially facing similar threats[1][2].
Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and other tech leaders are implementing an explicitly anti-democratic vision outlined in “The Sovereign Individual,” a 1997 manifesto that predicted nation-states would collapse as wealthy elites gain independence from democratic control[3]. This ideology sees democracy as incompatible with freedom and envisions a “cognitive elite” rising to power through cryptocurrency and internet technologies[2:1].
The strategy has three key components:
Direct Political Control: Tech billionaires like Musk have gained extraordinary influence through campaign spending and direct government roles. Musk now controls critical government infrastructure through his “Department of Government Efficiency,” modifying federal payment systems without oversight[4].
Institutional Capture: Wealthy tech leaders are systematically weakening government agencies and civil service protections. Trump’s “Schedule F” order could replace tens of thousands of civil servants with political loyalists vetted by conservative groups[2:2].
Alternative Power Centers: Billionaires are establishing autonomous zones and acquiring land in places like New Zealand as “boltholes” for societal collapse. Thiel obtained New Zealand citizenship despite spending only 12 days in the country[3:1].
The model draws from competitive authoritarian regimes where “elections are often fiercely contested battles in which incumbents have to sweat it out” but the system is rigged through government machinery to attack opponents and co-opt critics[2:3].
Europe faces similar pressures as tech companies resist regulation and establish parallel power structures. According to tech policy experts, the U.S. must not undermine European efforts to “regain sovereignty over their information systems and resist domination by Big Tech”[5].
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NPR - Breaking News, Analysis, Music, Arts & Podcasts ↩︎
The Path to American Authoritarianism ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Why Silicon Valley billionaires are prepping for the apocalypse in New Zealand ↩︎ ↩︎
Oligarchy in the open: What happens now as the U.S. is forced to confront its plutocracy problem? ↩︎
Democracy — Publications — Center for Journalism & Liberty ↩︎