Remote

Gil Duran

@gilduran@journa.host

mastodon 4.7.3

California journalist and writer. Ida Tarbell stan. FrameLab (w/@GeorgeLakoff). Beat: tech fascism, billionaire extremism, meta narratives, network state, mirror worlds.

4057 Followers

513 Following

48 Posts

Joined November 24, 2022

Current Book:

Against Tech Oligarchy

Favorite Place:

Library

Website:

http://www.gilduran.com

Newsletter:

http://www.thenerdreich.com

Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 2d ago

Replying to

This is a very good story. Yet it's amazing to see the New York Times continually miss the forest for the trees. The NYT is ok with extremist ideology as an anecdote in a profile—but highly allergic to any deeper examination of the ideology itself. No one gets to write an op-ed explaining any of this. That’s not allowed. But a billionaire can drop it in a quote as a passing comment. Of course, I just wrote a book about it! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Nerd-Reich/Gil-Duran/9781668221402

simonandschuster.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 1w ago

Boosted by @jwz@mastodon.social

Peter Thiel praises evil. Peter Thiel hates democracy. Peter Thiel founded Palantir. Peter Thiel owns JD Vance. Peter Thiel is the most powerful billionaire in the United States. Peter Thiel can’t stop talking about the “Antichrist.” Find out why. Read “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy."

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 1mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

We did it! “The Nerd Reich” is a New York Times Instant Bestseller! My book debuts at #3 on the non-fiction list. Thanks to all who pre-ordered /bought the book—or requested it at the public library or promoted it on social. Without you, I’m just an unemployed guy with a laptop. But with you…

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 2mo ago

I was sunning by the pool when the boxes arrived. And here in my hand is my life’s work: “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War On Democracy.” Coming 8/18. Pre-orders make a huge difference! Make a fascist sweat—pre-order today! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Nerd-Reich/Gil-Duran/9781668221402?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24006513995&gbraid=0AAAAADv-uEkWp8z8v90-41_7yjIScppnq&gclid=CjwKCAjw9szSBhBNEiwAC57Sq98sKrETXDsUcZLl5hzGLTLhCA4PJF9fUPpP8JG47cR5vGkP-8--4BoCDXAQAvD_BwE

simonandschuster.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 3mo ago

Boosted by @mattsheffield@mastodon.social

Replying to

We already have abundance. It is not justly or rationally distributed. The billionaires and trillionaires are not going to share. Ever. They are going to fixate on becoming quadrillionaires or robots or whatever. The USAID cuts reveal the whole game. So much for "all lives matter."

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

AI, Argentina, Antichrist. Peter Thiel’s decision to plant roots in Argentina makes a lot more sense now that President Javier Milei has unveiled plans to ban AI regulation and allow "non-human" corporations. The "Network State" rears its ugly head. https://www.thenerdreich.com/ai-argentina-and-the-antichrist-thiels-vision-blooms/

AI, Argentina and the Antichrist: Thiel’s Vision Blooms

AI, Argentina and the Antichrist: Thiel’s Vision Blooms

Peter Thiel relocates to Argentina as Javier Milei unveils legislation to make it a lawless paradise for AI billionaires and their machines.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 2mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

Trump's "communist" panic isn't just senile ranting. It's a strategy. It comes straight from a book Bannon and Vance endorsed, a genocide-themed screed that calls for dehumanizing Democrats as demons who don't deserve rights. The "Unhumans" playbook, exposed: https://www.thenerdreich.com/why-trump-keeps-talking-about-communism-the-unhumans-playbook/

'Unhumans' Playbook Explains Trump's 'Communist' Fixation

'Unhumans' Playbook Explains Trump's 'Communist' Fixation

“It’s important to use ‘communist’ this way as a slur.”

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 3mo ago

Ten years ago today, JD Vance published an essay calling Donald Trump “cultural heroin” and “an opioid of the masses.” Now, he’s the #1 pusher of Trump’s poison. This July 4, let’s remember the words of a man who sold his soul to sell out his nation. gift link: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/?gift=Kjaw0NITl7f2TdiJgnhQhe6MH1ddptWw0Ljf3dq-wnI&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

theatlantic.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 2mo ago

Boosted by @gvenema@fairmove.net

Axel Springer, the company that owns Politico, awards its top prize to...Antichrist lecturer Peter Thiel. No mention of the $50 million Thiel gave the son of Axel Springer's CEO to start a venture capital fund. But the CEO lauds Thiel's "courage and non-conformity." https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article6a59f86c29b150f031b16072/in-eigener-sache-peter-thiel-erhaelt-den-axel-springer-award-2026.html?wtrid=socialmedia.socialflow....socialflow_twitter

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

That's Network State shorthand for parallel strategy: Do to (institution) what Elon did to Twitter. Buy it, gut it, purge it, and create a twisted version that serves tech fascist oligarchy. We will see this over and over again, so it's crucial to know it's a strategy with a name. Silicon Valley's plan to buy up all the power and remake the world is the subject of my forthcoming book, "The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy." https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Nerd-Reich/Gil-Duran/9781668221402

simonandschuster.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 1mo ago

Tech billionaires think they are building a digital “god.” But is Silicon Valley trying to build God...or the “Antichrist”? Palantir billionaire Peter Thiel is giving nonstop speeches about the “Antichrist.” But if you listen closely to Thiel’s description of the biblical bogeyman, it sounds terrifyingly similar to Silicon Valley’s venture capital playbook. What is he trying to tell us? #tech #peterthiel #siliconvalley #nerdreich

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

In 2024, I mentioned Bari Weiss as one of the people trying to "circle-jerk this parallel world into being." At the time, she was heading Joe Lonsdale's faux "University of Austin." But she has moved up in the world—doing to CBS what Elon Musk did to Twitter. https://newrepublic.com/article/178675/garry-tan-tech-san-francisco

The Tech Plutocrats Dreaming of a Right-Wing San Francisco

The New Republic

The Tech Plutocrats Dreaming of a Right-Wing San Francisco

A rogue’s gallery of big tech edgelords and their reactionary hangers-on have a plan to remake the city by the bay in their own weirdo image.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 5mo ago

Peter Thiel Flees To Argentina.

As Trump falters, the Palantir billionaire and Antichrist enthusiast buys a $12 million mansion and heads south for an extended stay.

Is he chasing prophecy again?

https://www.thenerdreich.com/peter-thiel-flees-to-argentina/

Peter Thiel Flees to Argentina As Trump Falters

Peter Thiel Flees to Argentina As Trump Falters

Antichrist enthusiast flies south

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 18mo ago

Tech Fascists: We shall weaken the nation, destroy the economy, replace the dollar with crypto, replace people with AI, and create new Network State cities everywhere.

Normie Journalists: Folks, this is total chaos and incompetence with no structure or plan.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 13mo ago

“We’re witnessing, in real-time, a profound consolidation of power and collusion among political and tech elites—the ruling class of this country, and the world—wherein the tools and technologies that this industry has built, and continues to build, can now be deployed in service of an authoritarian regime.”

Katie Drummond of WIRED, says the American press is failing to cover the rise of tech authoritarianism. And she has some suggestions for how to fix the problem:

https://www.thenerdreich.com/wired-editor-tech-billionaires-threaten-us-democracy/

thenerdreich.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

Weird how it's all the same interconnected group of billionaires pushing the same concepts in different parts of the world simultaneously, in the exact same way. Surely just coincidence, amirite? My California Forever piece was the 1st thing I wrote about the Network State. I did not realize it would be the next few years of my life. You don't reach CF until the middle of the book. By the time you do, you know exactly what it is and where it comes from.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@draNgNon@hachyderm.io @GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai Both are in my book. Yarvin calls it The Cathedral, Evangelicals call it Seven Mountains, Balaji Srinivasan calls it the Network State. It's all a minoritarian power play to capture permanent power, and they have all converged under MAGA.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 3mo ago

World’s richest man kills world’s poorest children …and becomes a trillionaire. This is Greek myth territory. I joined @krystalball@bird.makeup and @kylekulinski@bird.makeup to discuss Elon Musk's USAID cuts, which my book describes as “Silicon Valley’s other genocide.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL3vhTJR8ac&t=696s

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 18mo ago

Last week, a board member of Politico’s parent company blasted its reporters for alleged bias.

Meanwhile, Peter Thiel quietly invested $50M in the son of Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner.

The younger Döpfner's nickname?

“The German JD Vance.”

Let's talk about it 👇
https://www.thenerdreich.com/politico-peter-thiel-problem-dopfner-jd-vance/

Politico's $50M Peter Thiel Problem

Politico's $50M Peter Thiel Problem

Is Axel Springer CEO's son the 'German JD Vance'?

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 5mo ago

Replying to

Pre-Order Here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Nerd-Reich/Gil-Duran/9781668221402

simonandschuster.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

My book will contain more eyebrow-raising details about the project and its very curious and undeniable connections to the Network State cult. For context: 70% of Solano County residents opposed the project, but the billionaires are going to force it on them anyway. https://www.thenerdreich.com/solano-county-poll-republicans-democrats-california-forever/

Miracle in Solano: California Forever unites Democrats and Republicans

Miracle in Solano: California Forever unites Democrats and Republicans

The point: The California Forever project appears headed for a massive defeat in November. But the billionaires behind the proposed "tech utopia" have managed to pull off a true political miracle in 2024: uniting Democrats and Republicans – against their project. I got a sneak peak at more detailed polling data.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

The very smart East Coast podcasters never seem to question why venture capitalists would give $900 million to a guy with no experience in real estate...to build a city from scratch...in a place where nobody wants it...in a way that actual developers say does not make any sense. Also, Balaji Srinivasan said California Forever is a Network State project. So, there's that.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 9mo ago

Replying to

Account just got suspended.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@spocko@mastodon.online @mastodonmigration@mastodon.online I AM talking to multiple audiences. I even post on the despicable depressing Threads. My job is to get the word out. I'm doing that best I can.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@nuthatch@infosec.exchange yep, world tour coming soon

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 13mo ago

Whether you like him or not (and I don't), Gavin Newsom is one of the few Democrats who understands that this is an Information War.

But can a Trump copycat save democracy? My thoughts on Newsom's journey from MAGA lapdog to resistance memelord.

https://www.theframelab.org/from-maga-lapdog-to-trumps-worst-enemy/

theframelab.org

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai @draNgNon@hachyderm.io They do have some tension. I write about that, too.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 21mo ago

What’s behind the Tech/MAGA alliance?

A lot more than just a hatred of taxes and regulations….

It's a shared belief in a very specific moral order — a coherent, intersectional, organized system of supremacies.

https://www.theframelab.org/understanding-the-maga-tech-authoritarian-alliance/

theframelab.org

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@spocko@mastodon.online @mastodonmigration@mastodon.online It's been a bit of a campaign, and it's annoying. This thread has 2k reposts on Bluesky, where I have 42k followers. I'll post where I post when I want to post.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@pst@tldr.nettime.org thanks

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 21mo ago

MAGA shocked to discover that President Musk is a globalist immigrant who wants to put a chip in what's left of their brains.

Some thoughts on the MAGA racist vs. Tech Eugenicist "civil war," and why Elon Musk is DUMB.

https://www.thenerdreich.com/maga-shocked-elon-musk-immigrant/

thenerdreich.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 19mo ago

The United States is evolving into an AI-controlled "Network State," says a respected military analyst.

Get ready for increased turmoil and "bursts of authoritarianism." https://www.thenerdreich.com/network-state-government-ai-tech-takeover-united-states/

thenerdreich.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 26mo ago

"Others in San Francisco are calling it The Nerd Reich.”

The Hollywood Reporter examines the weird tech fascist plot to topple democracy:

“F*** These Trump-Loving Techies”: Hollywood Takes on Silicon Valley in an Epic Presidential Brawl https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/election-2024-hollywood-silicon-valley-1235967050/

hollywoodreporter.com

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online This platform is too dead to get the word out properly.. Whining about it does not make me more interested in posting here.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@unruly@mastodon.social See: https://journa.host/@gilduran/116683870694397107

Gil Duran: "That's Network State shorthand for parallel strat…" - Journa.host

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 12mo ago

Replying to

The Antichrist Playbook: Peter Thiel & Silicon Valley Apocalypse Hype https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KegSMO9XcIY&t=460s

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 5mo ago

@woltiv@mastodon.social @gjm@mathstodon.xyz This seems to be a concern for about .00001% of the population.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 19mo ago

@socprof@masto.ai That is the book that started my own research.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 22mo ago

@scott@carfree.city Every terrorist has good intentions in their own mind.

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 13mo ago

@thejacenallen@mastodon.social That is sadly the name of the game

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Gil Duran @gilduran@journa.host

· 3mo ago

"It's not clear why we need these new cities." I talked to @moreperfectus@bird.makeup about Silicon Valley's push to replace government with billionaire-run city-states. The Network State cult: From Próspera to Gaza to California Forever. 224K views in a day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iLf2h_fo-w&t=162s

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