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The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil Durán

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Hardcover:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This transfixing debut from journalist Durán investigates the antidemocratic ideologies espoused by tech billionaires linked to the second Trump administration...It’s an ominous look at an insular elite arrayed against American democracy.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A fearless and urgent chronicle of the tech-authoritarian movement from its early days in San Francisco politics to its current moment on the international stage, exploring the wild and dystopian ambition of the technocrats at its center, and offering a road map to resistance.

When Silicon Valley says it is ‘‘moving fast and breaking things,’’ the world interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. Gil Durán reveals something far more sinister: a decades-long campaign to replace elected governments with corporate rule.

Drawing on insider political experience and new investigations, Durán traces this ideology from its philosophical roots in The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. He introduces its modern apostles—Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, and Elon Musk—and shows how the promise of technological liberation has transformed into a global movement for digital feudalism, powered by cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and the algorithmic propaganda of social media.

The Nerd Reich explains the origins, strategies, and ambitions of Silicon Valley’s war on democracy for the first time. From San Francisco’s weaponized elections and secret billionaire projects to the White House, Durán exposes how the world’s richest men are building a new political order.

The Nerd Reich is more than a hidden history, it’s an urgent warning: democracy is being dismantled not by coups or tanks, but by code, capital, and the illusion of innovation. Durán insists there is still time to fight back—if we act now.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This transfixing debut from journalist Durán investigates the antidemocratic ideologies espoused by tech billionaires linked to the second Trump administration...It’s an ominous look at an insular elite arrayed against American democracy.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A fearless and urgent chronicle of the tech-authoritarian movement from its early days in San Francisco politics to its current moment on the international stage, exploring the wild and dystopian ambition of the technocrats at its center, and offering a road map to resistance.

When Silicon Valley says it is ‘‘moving fast and breaking things,’’ the world interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. Gil Durán reveals something far more sinister: a decades-long campaign to replace elected governments with corporate rule.

Drawing on insider political experience and new investigations, Durán traces this ideology from its philosophical roots in The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. He introduces its modern apostles—Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, and Elon Musk—and shows how the promise of technological liberation has transformed into a global movement for digital feudalism, powered by cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and the algorithmic propaganda of social media.

The Nerd Reich explains the origins, strategies, and ambitions of Silicon Valley’s war on democracy for the first time. From San Francisco’s weaponized elections and secret billionaire projects to the White House, Durán exposes how the world’s richest men are building a new political order.

The Nerd Reich is more than a hidden history, it’s an urgent warning: democracy is being dismantled not by coups or tanks, but by code, capital, and the illusion of innovation. Durán insists there is still time to fight back—if we act now.

  • Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

    Title: The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy

    Author: Gil Durán

    On Sale Date: August 18, 2026

    ISBN 13: 978-1668221402

    ISBN 10: 1668221403

    Format: Hardcover

    Retail Price: $30.00

    BISAC: Political Science / Civics; Business & Economics / Computer Industry

    Page Count: 352

    Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 in

    Weight: 1.14 lb

  • Gil Durán is an independent journalist who spent a decade inside California politics as an advisor to Jerry Brown, Dianne Feinstein, and Kamala Harris before returning to the newsroom, first as opinion editor of The Sacramento Bee and later as editorial page editor of the San Francisco Examiner. The grandson of Mexican immigrant farmworkers, he grew up doing fieldwork, dropped out of high school for a year before finishing, and went on to graduate from DePauw University. He now writes the newsletters The Nerd Reich and FrameLab. This is his first book.

  • Critics and fellow bestselling authors are calling it fearless, meticulously reported, and urgent:

    • “This transfixing debut…investigates the antidemocratic ideologies espoused by tech billionaires.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    • “A clear and compelling account of the threats posed by technofascism to democracies everywhere.” — Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

    • “Gil Durán is an essential voice on this technofascist moment.” — Carole Cadwalladr, investigative journalist, The Nerve

    • “He brings the receipts and the righteous rage.” — Wajahat Ali, The Left Hook

This book is for you if

  • You want to understand how a small circle of Silicon Valley billionaires is trying to reshape American democracy in its own image.

  • You’ve read the headlines about tech-world politics and want the reporting that connects the dots.

  • You’re drawn to sharp, deeply sourced investigative journalism over hot takes.

  • You want to know where ideas like the “network state” and crypto-libertarianism actually come from.

  • You believe understanding a threat is the first step to resisting it.

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