“Nerd Reich”: Are big tech billionaires at war with democracy?
Sep 11, 2026 •
When Donald Trump was sworn in for a second time, some of the most powerful men in the tech world had the best seats in the room.
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg – a display of just how close silicon valley had aligned itself to the administration.
But within that world, journalist Gil Durán says, is a smaller, more radical group with a much bigger ambition: get rid of democracy, and use technology to build a new order in its place, controlled by a wealthy elite. And in his new book, The Nerd Reich, Gil traces how these once-fringe ideas have moved closer to the White House than ever before.
Today, Silicon Valley journalist and author Gil Durán, on the group he’s dubbed the “Nerd Reich’, the ideas driving them, and how they became part of Trump’s political project.
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
“Nerd Reich”: Are big tech billionaires at war with democracy?
2041 • Sep 11, 2026
“Nerd Reich”: Are big tech billionaires at war with democracy?
When Donald Trump was sworn in for a second time, some of the most powerful men in the tech world had the best seats in the room.
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg – a display of just how close silicon valley had aligned itself to the administration.
But within that world, journalist Gil Durán says, is a smaller, more radical group with a much bigger ambition: get rid of democracy, and use technology to build a new order in its place, controlled by a wealthy elite. And in his new book, The Nerd Reich, Gil traces how these once-fringe ideas have moved closer to the White House than ever before.
Today, Silicon Valley journalist and author Gil Durán, on the group he’s dubbed the “Nerd Reich’, the ideas driving them, and how they became part of Trump’s political project.
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
Guest: Author of The Nerd Reich Gil Durán
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7am is a daily show from Solstice Media.
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