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UID:Indybay-18888076
SEQUENCE:19066113
CREATED:20260818T160100Z
DESCRIPTION:BOOK TALK: "The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on 
 Democracy" \n(publisher Simon & Schuster, August 18, 2026)\n\nJoin an 
 in-person talk with author Gil Durán, who will explain the origins, 
 strategies and ambitions of what he says is Silicon Valley’s “war on 
 democracy.”\n\nAUTHOR: Gil Durán, journalist & "Nerd Riech" 
 podcaster\n\nMODERATOR: Wajahat Ali, Co-host, "Democracy-ish" Podcast, 
 editor of the “Left Hook” Substack and former Daily Beast columnist 
 \n\nMonday, August 24 at 6 PM - 7 PM\n\nTICKETS: \n\nIn-person: Students = 
 FREE w/ school ID; regular admission $25; copy of book & ticket 
 $55\nhttps://commonwealthclub.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FVb00000G97ibMAB\n\nOn-line: 
 book & on-line ticket $40; only on-line 
 $10\nhttps://commonwealthclub.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FVb00000G97gzMAB\n\n\nWhen 
 Silicon Valley says it is “moving fast and breaking things,” the world 
 interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. In his new book, 
 The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy, Gil Durán 
 argues that something far more sinister is at work: a decades-long campaign 
 to replace elected governments with corporate rule.\n\nDurán chronicles 
 what he calls 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 his road map to resistance.\n\nDrawing on insider political 
 experience and new investigations, he 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 argues that 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.\n\nDurán explains the 
 origins, strategies and ambitions of Silicon Valley’s “war on 
 democracy.” Join us as Durán will be in conversation by acclaimed author 
 and former Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali, editor of the “Left Hook” 
 Substack.\n\n\nABOUT: Gil Duran\n\nFrom Bookshop.org:  Gil Durán was born 
 in Tulare, California, in 1976. The grandson of Mexican immigrant 
 farmworkers, he got his first taste of work in the fields, but took an 
 interest in journalism after winning the local newspaper’s “My Mom Is 
 the Best” contest in the fifth grade. In the tenth grade, his family 
 moved from California to Kentucky, where he dropped out of high school for 
 a year, then returned and befriended an English teacher who encouraged him 
 to apply to college. He graduated DePauw University in 1998 and started his 
 journalism career at the San Jose Mercury News. As the newspaper industry 
 hit turbulence, he pivoted to politics and spent ten years as an advisor to 
 politicians including Jerry Brown, Dianne Feinstein, and Kamala Harris. In 
 2018, he returned to journalism as California opinion editor of The 
 Sacramento Bee, and then became editorial page editor of the San Francisco 
 Examiner. Now an independent journalist, he publishes two newsletters: The 
 Nerd Reich, focused on extremist tech politics, and FrameLab, focused on 
 political language.\n\nTo see the full listing page of "The Nerd Reich" or 
 purchase from an INDEPENDENT bookstore, go to: 
 https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-nerd-reich-silicon-valley-fascism-and-the-war-on-democracy-gil-dur-n/a6f6f0dce1150339\n\n______________________________________________________________\n\nDEMOCRACY 
 NOW!  \n\n“The Nerd Reich”: Author Gil Durán on Big Tech Fascism, 
 Peter Thiel, JD Vance & the War on Democracy\n\nInterview with Gil Durnan 
 on the Silicon Valley war on democracy w/ journalists Amy Goodman and 
 Anjali 
 Kamat\n\nhttps://www.democracynow.org/2026/8/17/gil_duran_nerd_reich\n\n\nPOLITICAL.org 
 ARTICLE: "Gil Durán’s ‘The Nerd Reich’ Chronicles Silicon Valley’s 
 War on American Democracy" --By: Rachel Huang \n\nQUOTE: "A provocative new 
 book by journalist and former political aide Gil Durán argues that a 
 tightly networked circle of Silicon Valley billionaires and venture 
 capitalists have spent three decades methodically constructing an 
 ideological and political apparatus aimed at replacing democratic 
 governance with corporate rule. The book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley 
 Fascism and the War on Democracy, published by Simon & Schuster, is 
 scheduled for release on August 18, 2026 — and its claims are already 
 igniting debate across the political spectrum."\n\nFor the full, complete 
 article, go to: 
 https://political.org/2026/08/10/gil-durans-the-nerd-reich-chronicles-silicon-valleys-war-on-american-democracy/\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2026/08/18/18888076.php
SUMMARY:“The Nerd Reich”: Rise of AI Tech Fascism w/ Book Talk Author Gil Durán & host Wajahat Ali
LOCATION:HYBRID EVENT\n\nIn-Person: \nThe Commonwealth Club\n110 The 
 Embarcadero\nSan Francisco, CA 94105\nStudents = FREE w/ school ID for 
 in-person ticket\n\nOr register to join on-line here: 
 https://commonwealthclub.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FVb00000G97gzMAB\\\n\n
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2026/08/18/18888076.php
DTSTART:20260825T010000Z
DTEND:20260825T020000Z
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