Tech figures including Musk, Thiel, and Zuckerberg seek to replace the state, article argues
Summary
- A published article argues that a technological sovereignty, more intrusive and insidious than that of nation-states, is progressively imposing itself.
- It says the push is led by tech figures including Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Mark Zuckerberg, who make no secret of their goal of replacing the state.
- It says Peter Thiel speaks of a war to the death between technology and the state, and that Palantir, whose board Thiel chairs, embeds digital infrastructure in health and security sectors.
- It says Elon Musk has shown readiness to cut Starlink access to democracies or anyone whenever he judges it opportune, whatever national security implications.
- It says most states voluntarily helped and supported these companies for fear of being outpaced in mass surveillance and control technologies, hastening their own decline.
Reactions
- The article forecasts that Mark Zuckerberg has set himself the goal of controlling critical infrastructure such as the transatlantic submarine cable network.
- The article argues that Elon Musk reigns over the skies with Starlink and that the tech brotherhood conceives power as unilateral and exercised from the top down.
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« Les citoyens s’apprêtent à n’être qu’une simple ressource gérée par des patrons de la tech tels que Musk, Thiel et Zuckerberg »
lemonde.fr· 1h
Le Monde argues that a new technological sovereignty, more intrusive than that of nation-states, is imposing itself, promoted by tech figures like Musk, Thiel, and Zuckerberg who seek to replace the state. It says most states have helped these companies for fear of falling behind in surveillance technology.
Background newest first
Weekend Update #211: The Week In Which Stupidity Battled Evil
substack.com· 1h
Phillips P. OBrien's newsletter reviews a week of Russo-Ukrainian war developments: an Abu Dhabi meeting between Ukrainians and a Russo-American delegation, American pressure on Ukraine to cede all of Donbas, and a hack of Russia's Rosstat that OBrien says points to Russian war deaths near 500,000 by August. He also argues the Trump administration is helping Russia, including limiting Starlink and Starshield access, and calls it evil and stupid.
Zelenskyy questions SpaceX over reported Starshield speed restrictions
euronews.com· 3h
Euronews reports Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing SpaceX of misleading Kyiv over Starshield speed restrictions — terminals capped at 161 km/h in Russian-occupied areas — which he says are hampering Ukraine's interception of Russian jet-powered attack drones, and says he has ordered ministries to seek clarification. He also says Washington proposed Ukraine cede land to Russia for NATO membership, a question he cannot decide alone.
Zelensky says Starshield restrictions give Russia more room to attack, accuses SpaceX of treating occupied territories as 'not ours'
kyivindependent.com· 22h
The Kyiv Independent reports that Starshield restrictions over Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory now limit Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drones, prompting Zelensky to say SpaceX's moves partially treat the territories as "not ours" and to reject the company's technical-issue explanation, which SpaceX denies. The roundup also covers a deadly Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, France's seizure of oligarch Zhevago's $40 million Paris mansion, a planned Trump-Xi-Putin summit that will not focus on Ukraine, and a nationwide U.S. flight ground stop.
US Democrats direct Musk to preserve records on Ukraine's Starlink restriction, WSJ reports
The Kyiv Independent reports that Senate Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons have directed Elon Musk to preserve all records on Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield restrictions, citing Senate proceedings, with a response due by November 30, 2026. Ukraine faces renewed Starshield speed caps limiting drone interception, which SpaceX denies, and Democrats plan a January 2027 investigation into the White House's handling of the war and Musk's involvement.
Exclusive | Democrats Order Musk to Preserve Records Over Ukraine Starlink Access
wsj.com· 35h
Democratic senators have told Elon Musk to preserve all records related to SpaceX's restrictions on Ukraine's use of its Starlink and Starshield services, according to a letter reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, saying the restrictions jeopardized Kyiv's military operations amid Russian strikes. The senators plan a series of investigations into the administration's handling of the Ukraine war when they take control of Congress in January.
Palantir CEO, With a Straight Face, Warns That Wealth Tax Will Cause Mass Surveillance
futurism.com· 40h
A Futurism article reports that Palantir CEO Alex Karp warned on a podcast that enforcing a wealth tax would require AI-powered surveillance into people's personal lives, though he said he favors the rich paying more if it wouldn't harm American tech. Futurism calls the warning hypocritical from a firm synonymous with mass surveillance, citing its work with ICE and military targeting software reportedly tied to a bombing in Iran.
Starlink speed limits still in place over Russian-occupied Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
politico.com· 43h
Politico reports, per Daria Zakharova, that Volodymyr Zelenskyy says on 13 November 2026 that Starlink speed limits — holding Ukrainian forces to 161 km/h along the entire front line and occupied territory, hindering interceptors against jet Shahed drones — remain in place, with no clear explanation given. Starshield restrictions began mid-October 2026 and were lifted on 24 October, appeared to return on 9 November, and Elon Musk, who denied responsibility, wrote that Starshield is controlled by the US government and any limits are decided by the US military and ultimately Donald Trump.
Ukraine seeks explanation on Starshield speed restrictions from US
The Kyiv Independent reports that Ukraine is seeking an explanation from the U.S. over reported Starshield speed restrictions, which Zelensky says cap the system at 161 km/h over Russian-occupied territory and the front line and hinder interceptors against Shahed drones; SpaceX denies any change, and the 105-member Ukraine Caucus urged full restoration of access. The roundup also covers Russian attacks that killed 9 and injured 61 across Ukraine, UForce's $700 million drone-maker funding, Maj. Gen. Oleh Apostol saying Russia's advance has slowed, and corruption probes that ousted Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
AI Surveillance Could Be Harming Your Health. Here’s How.
popularmechanics.com· 45h
Darren Orf's Popular Mechanics article reports on a New England Journal of Medicine perspective in which experts from Massachusetts General, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard argue that AI-enabled mass surveillance can harm health, citing anticipatory stress, frightened patients avoiding clinics, and surveillance data shaping access to insurance, housing, and jobs. The article also notes Palantir's ICE tools, HIPAA's gaps, state data-privacy laws, and the authors' warning that AI surveillance could become a driver of health inequities without stronger protections.
Alex Karp wants to be friends with Democrats again
motherjones.com
Mother Jones interviews defense reporter Sharon Weinberger, whose book Valley of Death tracks the "arsenal of the broligarchy," about Alex Karp's pitch to Democrats after Palantir worked with ICE, built military AI, and allied with the anti-woke right under Trump. Weinberger calls Karp a chameleon who has long tried to have it both ways, says defense firms survive by maneuvering across administrations, and predicts a coming consolidation of defense startups.
Ukraine says it can’t stop Russian strikes because Starshield is limited again
arstechnica.com· 2d
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says Starshield, SpaceX's military satellite service under Pentagon contract, is again speed-limited to 161 km/h on drones, leaving Ukraine unable to intercept Russian Shahed strikes. SpaceX denies any change, Musk says the US government sets limits, and Ukrainian officials suspect pressure tied to peace talks.
Major News: Trump ‘All Alone’ and Gives Up on Iran Deal, Republicans Turn on Him, Starlink Cuts Hit Ukraine, GOP Slashes Veterans’ Benefits
Aaron Parnas's news roundup covers a turbulent post-midterm stretch: Trump isolated after replacing chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, Republicans openly criticizing the move, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Moscow for Ukraine talks, and Zelensky saying deliberate Starshield speed limits are helping Russia kill Ukrainians. It also reports House Republicans passing the Take Care of America's Veterans Act by voice vote, Jensen Huang resigning as Nvidia CEO, five people shot in Washington's Logan Circle, and an Israeli strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital.
BREAKING: Musk And Trump Throttled Starlink In Ukraine. Again.
Dean Blundell's Substack reports that Starshield, the Pentagon-funded network guiding Ukraine's interceptor drones, has been capped a second time in 30 days, leaving interceptors too slow for the Russian jet drones they chase while five civilians died in overnight strikes. Zelensky calls the limit deliberate — "This helps Russians kill more Ukrainians" — and despite bipartisan Senate demands and reports pinning the order on Musk with Trump's agreement, no hearing has been held.
Zelensky Warns Starshield's Speed Cap Hampers Ukraine as Russia Launches Ballistic Strike
kyivpost.com· 2d
Zelensky said Starshield's 161 km/h speed cap has hobbled Ukraine's interception of Russia's jet-powered drones, and Ukrainian defense officials called the limits deliberate, with no satisfactory explanation from the White House, Pentagon, or SpaceX. The restrictions coincided with Trump's announced deal to import Russian diesel, as Russia launched a ballistic strike on Kyiv.
Ukraine warns of fresh Starshield disruptions as U.S. envoys arrive in Moscow for talks with Putin
cnbc.com· 3d
CNBC reports that Zelenskyy says fresh speed restrictions have been imposed on SpaceX's Starshield over Ukraine, which he calls systematic and which he says are hindering interception of Russian jet-powered drones, echoing October's disruptions. The article also covers Elon Musk's shifting explanations, Trump's denial of White House involvement, and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arriving in Moscow for talks with Putin.
Ukraine Hit By New ‘Systematic’ Starshield Restrictions, Says Zelensky
newsweek.com· 3d
Newsweek reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's claim of fresh "systematic" restrictions on Ukraine's Starshield service, with soldiers reporting significant disruptions along the more than 700-mile frontline weeks after curbs to Starlink wreaked havoc on Ukrainian operations. Elon Musk denies imposing the constraints and says Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government, while envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow before a planned meeting with Zelensky in Dublin.
Meet the "Thielbillies" reshaping the Republican Party
Mother Jones profiles the "Thielbillies," a male-dominated crew of tech workers, financiers, and edgelords converging on Nashville — where Peter Thiel lectured on the Antichrist for some six hours in a Masonic temple — who believe America is a people rooted in particular places, building outlets like The Pamphleteer and Josh Abbotoy's Highland Rim charter communities around that creed. With Texas flipping blue in the midterms while Tennessee held, Mother Jones forecasts the scene will help define the reshaped Republican Party, and Thiel exhorted locals to "Get over your inferiority complex and fight."
‘The many v the money’ should frame the next US Congress
theguardian.com· 4d
Naomi Klein, in the Guardian's How We Win series, argues the next US Congress should be framed around a battle of "the many v the money": regular people attached to place against tech oligarchs like Elon Musk, whose cash, datacenters and rockets clash with human needs. She points to Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa's fight to protect Boca Chica state park from SpaceX, voters' approval of datacenter moratoriums, and Democratic defections such as Gavin Newsom's siding against a billionaire tax, warning that failing to take on the billionaire class would squander the midterm victories before 2028.
Gil Duran warns of Silicon Valley’s political influence
stanforddaily.com· 4d
A Stanford Daily article covers Gil Duran's Stanford talk "On Technofascism," where the journalist warned that billionaires like Peter Thiel seek "capitalism without democracy" and want tech wealth to rule over democratic institutions. He urged students to question wealthy donors' influence on universities and to build technology serving humanity.
Alex Karp on Why AI Will Hurt the Middle Class: You Can’t Have Billionaires Becoming 100x Wealthier
youtube.com· 5d
On The Builders, Walter Isaacson interviews Palantir CEO Alex Karp about the company's post-9/11 origins and his path from philosophy scholar to its unlikely leader. Karp warns that AI will widen class gaps, says billionaires cannot grow 100 times wealthier while others stagnate, opposes a wealth tax as impractical and surveillance-expanding, and urges legislation keeping battlefield AI out of domestic use.
Carta Encíclica de Su Santidad León XIV Magnifica Humanitas (15 de mayo de 2026)
vatican.va
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, dated 15 May 2026 on vatican.va, frames the age of artificial intelligence between the biblical images of Babel and Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem, arguing that technology must serve human dignity and the common good rather than a technocratic race for power. Tracing the Church's social doctrine from Rerum novarum through Francis, he examines AI's effects on truth and communication, education, work, families, new forms of slavery and data extraction, and war, asks forgiveness for the Church's historical complicity in slavery, and calls for regulation, transparency, and a human-centered "disarming" of AI.
Ukraine’s Drone Pilots Turn to Israeli-Italian Comms to Replace Musk’s SpaceX
The Kyiv Post reports that Ukraine's long-range drone forces are shifting, per Russian and Ukrainian reports, from Elon Musk's Starlink to Israel-based HiSKY satellite terminals that are less capable but beyond Washington's reach — a move that followed an Oct. 14, 2026 SpaceX slowdown that grounded strikes and interceptor drones until Congress ordered an investigation. Zelensky blamed Trump for the cap, Musk said the White House ordered it, and White House officials called it Musk's idea; Ukraine resumed refinery strikes in early November.
Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026)
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, marking the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, sets the Church's Social Doctrine—its dignity, common good, solidarity and subsidiarity—against the challenges of artificial intelligence. He warns that technology built on pride builds a new Tower of Babel, and calls instead for regulation, human-centered work, justice for workers and data subjects, an end to AI in lethal force, and a "way of Nehemiah" of shared rebuilding toward peace.
Canada is relying on a controversial U.S. tech company for military software | CBC News
cbc.ca· 8d
CBC News reports growing scrutiny over Canada's multimillion-dollar military contracts with U.S. software company Palantir, whose Gotham system has run on classified Defence Department networks since 2020 under a contract flagged "not for public disclosure" and worth up to $63 million. Experts warn the CLOUD Act could still expose Canadian data to U.S. authorities, and some say Canada should cut ties and build domestic alternatives, citing Palantir's ties to American immigration enforcement and the Trump administration.
Musk reposts tweet calling Starlink service for Ukraine 'mistake'
The Kyiv Independent reports that Elon Musk reposted a post on X calling it a "mistake" to give Ukraine Starlink access, without comment, days after President Zelensky criticized Musk's outsized political influence in a German TV interview. The article also covers the unannounced Starshield speed cap that disrupted Ukraine's drone interceptions, Ukraine's rejection of Musk's terms-of-service accusations, his record midterm spending, Democratic pledges to investigate him, and other Ukraine news including Russian strikes on Kyiv.
White House said Starlink donated its service, but tax dollars are funding it
washingtonpost.com· 8d
A Washington Post article reports that although the White House said in 2025 that Elon Musk's Starlink had donated its service there, contracting records show the Trump administration has paid SpaceX nearly $1.2 million since 2025 to install and service the equipment. An AI summary of readers' comments says many criticize Musk's government contracts, call his control of communications infrastructure a national security risk, and advocate nationalizing Starlink.
Musk Told to Save Records on Ukraine Satellite Slowdown
Kyiv Post reports that US Senate Democrats, citing CNN, are preparing investigations into the October 2026 Starshield restrictions that disrupted Ukrainian drone missions and have asked Elon Musk to preserve related documents, with bipartisan letters also seeking a Defense Department inspector general probe. Record-preservation requests additionally target banks, ports, and firms involved in Russian diesel transactions, and Democrats are projected to take control of Congress after the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms.
Tech barons cozied up to Trump. What will they do in newly blue America?
Blake Montgomery's Guardian analysis examines how tech billionaires who cozied up to Trump — Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg sat front row at his January 2025 inauguration as Musk's fortune passed $1tn — now face a newly blue America after Democrats took Congress and governors' mansions in 2026 midterms amid anger over tech, AI datacenters, and the super rich. He forecasts congressional investigations into Musk's department of government efficiency and xAI's $200m military contract, an inquisition for Zuckerberg, and datacenter moratoriums that may hamstring AI companies.
Canadian Government’s Contract with Starlink Has Grown Tenfold | The Tyee
thetyee.ca· 10d
The Tyee reports that Canada's federal Starlink contract has grown more than tenfold, from $2.3 million awarded in February 2024 to nearly $29 million through amendments, and that the government is keeping it despite Prime Minister Mark Carney saying Canada will "diversify away from" Starlink. Experts like Curtis McCord and Dwayne Winseck say Canada has little choice until alternatives exist, blaming its vulnerability on lack of domestic options, while Shared Services Canada's Ashlea Wells says Starlink covers operational gaps and Canada has meanwhile awarded Telesat a $2.3-billion Arctic military satellite contract and a $2.14-billion loan.
Palantir AI tech unused or little used by 29 NHS trusts said to be benefiting from it
A Guardian exclusive finds that 29 hospital trusts publicly listed by NHS England as "realising benefits" from Palantir's £330m federated data platform say the system is not live or that they use none of its apps, a gap surfaced through more than 100 freedom of information requests obtained by the campaign group Medact. NHS England, which claims 117,539 additional operations and says nearly 140 trusts report benefits, faces calls from MPs and campaigners to axe the contract, and the Office for Statistics Regulation is investigating and taking the benefits claim into casework.
Nationalize SpaceX
thebulwark.com· 18d
In a Bulwark newsletter titled Nationalize SpaceX, the author argues SpaceX is a national security vulnerability made worse by Elon Musk's control of the company, though he says the risk would exist whoever ran it. He treats the headline as shorthand, suggesting the fix could instead be breaking the company up or regulating it aggressively.
Defund Elon Musk | Robert Reich
In a Guardian column, Robert Reich argues that no private individual should hold the power over US foreign policy that Elon Musk has wielded in Ukraine, citing Wall Street Journal reports that Musk slowed Starlink service relied on by Ukrainian forces. He says Musk is the largest known donor of the 2026 midterms, calls him and Donald Trump conmen and megalomaniacs, and urges readers to stop buying Teslas, quit X, and support politicians promising to defund him.
Pope Leo XIV Warns AI Could Become an 'Instrument of Domination'
Newsweek's Hannah Parry reports that Pope Leo XIV, visiting UNESCO in Paris during a trip to France, warned that artificial intelligence could threaten human dignity and become an "instrument of domination", arguing that its development must stay subordinate to human dignity, moral responsibility and the common good. The article contrasts the pope's stance with President Trump, who dismissed AI concerns as a "hoax" and rejects new restrictions, and notes investor Peter Thiel's remark that the pope was "at least acting as a useful idiot for the CCP", while OpenAI's Sam Altman echoes concerns about keeping humans in control.
Part One: Alex Karp: How Palantir's CEO Went From Marxist To Anti-Woke Crusader
Behind the Bastards opens a two-part episode on Palantir CEO Alex Karp, tracing his left-wing Philadelphia upbringing, dyslexia, friendship with Peter Thiel at Stanford, and doctoral years in Frankfurt, where Jürgen Habermas declined to supervise his dissertation — a rejection that still stings. Host Robert Evans calls Karp one of the show's most dangerous subjects, now an anti-woke Trump enabler.
Milei’s proposal to allow ‘non-human corporations’ run by AI causes concern in Argentina - Buenos Aires Herald
buenosairesherald.com· 23w
The Buenos Aires Herald reports that Argentine President Javier Milei's Financial Times proposal to keep AI unregulated and create "non-human corporations" run by AI agents, with low taxes and limited liability, has drawn concern from politicians and tech experts. The actual Super RIGI initiative targets AI data centers with tax incentives, and critics including Elisa Carrió, Agustín Rossi, and engineer Ariel Garbarz warn of ties to Peter Thiel and Palantir, which the government denies.
How the American oligarchy went hyperscale
A Mother Jones feature examines the AI data center boom as the making of an "AI oligarchy," arguing tech billionaires' trillion-dollar building spree has fused with Trump's administration to reshape power, land, energy, and politics. It reports the boom's tolls and fights, from Meta's $27 billion Hyperion project in Louisiana and xAI's gas-turbine-powered Colossus in Memphis to community pushback that has blocked or paused projects across the country.
Palantir under fire for X 'manifesto' from co-founder Alex Karp
bbc.com· 29w
BBC News reports criticism of a 22-point X post by Palantir co-founder and chief executive Alex Karp, in which he called all-cultures-are-equal beliefs wrong, backed AI weapons and universal national service, and called Germany's post-war disarmament an "overcorrection". The article sets this against Palantir's UK government contracts, including a £330m NHS data platform deal that the British Medical Association and campaigners oppose, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the technology though calling some of Palantir's people's remarks "abominable".
Palantir published a mini manifesto calling some cultures ‘harmful’ and ‘middling’ and said Silicon Valley has ‘a moral debt’ to the U.S. | Fortune
fortune.com· 29w
Fortune covers the 22-point manifesto Palantir posted on X, drawn from CEO Alex Karp's book, in which he and Nicholas Zamiska call some cultures "middling, and worse, regressive and harmful" and argue Silicon Valley owes the U.S. a "moral debt." The manifesto urges tech firms to build AI weapons, floats reinstating the draft, and calls for renewing a shared American culture.
Palantir manifesto described as ‘ramblings of a supervillain’ amid UK contract fears
A Guardian article reports on Palantir's 22-point manifesto on X, which extols American power, predicts a future of autonomous weapons and calls for a US military draft, and which MPs including Victoria Collins, who called it "the ramblings of a supervillain," say raises fresh questions about the firm's £500m-plus UK contracts. Critics including Martin Wrigley and Rachael Maskell say the company is unsuited to UK public services, while a Palantir spokesperson says its software helps the NHS and defends its UK workforce.
How The Palantir CEO Says Its Impacting Modern Warfare
CNBC's video report covers Palantir's annual AI conference, which drew leaders from GE Aerospace, Nvidia, and the Navy, and an exclusive interview with CEO Alex Karp on how its defense technology is changing warfare. Karp says precise, faster targeting has shifted how war is fought, and reports link Project Maven, used to identify bad actors, to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Top Tech CEO's Vision Of AI-Driven Future Seems Tailor-Made For Trump
huffpost.com· 35w
A HuffPost article takes aim at Palantir CEO Alex Karp's predictions that AI will strip political and economic power from highly educated, Democratic-leaning voters — a vision it sees as little coincidence given the harm to some of Donald Trump's least favorite demographics. It notes Palantir's billions in government contracts and deep Pentagon, DHS, and intelligence ties, and accusations that it underpins a data-powered surveillance state.
Palantir CEO says AI is elevating U.S. wartime capabilities
A CNBC Television segment covers Palantir's annual conference, AIP Con, where executives and officials are greeted with the slogan "There are no secrets" and the company's defense intelligence technology, including surveillance, is showcased. CEO Alex Karp says AI gives the U.S. an edge in the Middle East war, has shifted how war is fought, and boosts working-class voters' economic power while disrupting trained, largely democratic voters.
Palantir CEO Insists He Doesn't Support Regime Change Wars (But Supports Iran War)
gizmodo.com· 35w
In a March 12, 2026 Gizmodo article, Matt Novak covers Palantir CEO Alex Karp's CNBC appearance during the Iran War, where Karp backed President Trump's war effort, insisted he opposes regime change wars, and dodged questions about Project Maven targeting Iran's Supreme Leader. Novak calls the Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic an attempted corporate murder and finds Karp's credit-dodging about Palantir's war role awkward.
Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power
newrepublic.com· 35w
A New Republic article centers on Palantir CEO Alex Karp's remarks that his AI technology will disrupt society, lessen the power of highly educated, often female Democratic voters, and boost the economic power of working-class men — a pitch the article reads as aimed at the GOP. It also tallies the costs of the unauthorized U.S. war in Iran, from the Pentagon's $11.3 billion estimate for the first six days to Trump's plan to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as gas prices climb.
The Most Dangerous Corporation in America?
In a video, Robert Reich argues Palantir, the data-analytics firm co-founded by Peter Thiel and named for Tolkien's seeing stone, is America's most dangerous corporation, warning its AI surveillance of Americans — chosen by Trump to consolidate a federal database — could let a tyrant punish political enemies. He urges electing leaders who won't partner with such firms.
The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession
wired.com· 1y
A WIRED longread by Laura Bullard traces Peter Thiel's two-year Armageddon speaking tour—his warnings about an Antichrist who unites the world through fear of technology—to the Austrian theologian Wolfgang Palaver, whose 1990s critiques of Carl Schmitt's apocalyptic politics have quietly shaped Thiel's language and strategic interventions, from JD Vance's rise to National Conservatism. Palaver, whom Thiel befriended in 1996, fears Thiel has arrived at a catastrophic reading of Schmitt, yet hopes to influence him religiously.
Making Sense of MAGA
In a long Freedom Academy essay, Asha Rangappa argues MAGA is not one movement but three antidemocratic factions — violent extremists inspired by "The Turner Diaries", Christian nationalists executing Project 2025, and tech oligarchs drawn to Curtis Yarvin's neoreactionary blueprint of a CEO-run "GovCorps" — whose agendas sometimes clash, as in the H1B-visa feud between Bannon and Musk. She reads DHS's "Which way, American man?" recruiting post as an echo of white power literature, calls the "white genocide" framing false, and judges Trump indifferent among the factions, whose momentum is still too aligned for infighting to be celebrated.
https://www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/doc/130_days_of_elon_musk_report.pdf
senate.gov· 1y
Senator Elizabeth Warren's office published a report alleging that Elon Musk, while serving as a Special Government Employee leading DOGE, used his Trump administration role to benefit Tesla, SpaceX, X, and his other companies. It catalogs regulators' investigations and enforcement actions that ended through firings, layoffs, and dropped cases, and says Musk's net worth rose over $100 billion since Election Day 2024.
Palantir’s Idea of Peace
thenation.com· 1y
In a review for The Nation, Michael Eby pans Alex Karp's book The Technological Republic as warmed-over pabulum that turns self-interest into national destiny, arguing that Karp's self-styled centrist liberalism makes hawkish foreign policy and Palantir's dragnet software — sold to agencies from the CIA to ICE and police departments — look like the thoughtful middle ground. Eby contrasts Karp's quoted boasts about scaring enemies and killing them with the book's call for tech elites to abandon consumer products for military technology.
“End Times Fascism”: Naomi Klein on How Trump, Musk, Far Right “Don’t Believe in the Future”
democracynow.org· 1y
Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman interviews Naomi Klein about her Guardian article "The rise of end times fascism," co-authored with Astra Taylor, which argues that wealthy elites and far-right leaders like Donald Trump and Elon Musk are accelerating the world's destruction while preparing bunker enclaves, freedom cities, and space escapes. Klein says today's fascists, unlike those of the 1930s, offer no future — uniting Christian Zionists watching for end times in Gaza, tech oligarchs pursuing privatized "exit" nations, and MAGA survivalists buying gold and ready-to-eat meals — and she says the response is to be the people who believe in this world and the future.
How DOGE’s cutbacks at the FAA could affect aviation safety
pbs.org· 1y
PBS News Hour's John Yang interviews Atlantic writer Isaac Stanley-Becker on how DOGE-driven FAA cutbacks could affect aviation safety: probationary dismissals and buyouts are thinning staff, with about 12 percent of aeronautical information specialists leaving. He flags concerns including safety roles being sacrificed and conflicts of interest around Elon Musk's Starlink replacing a Verizon system.
How DOGE’s cutbacks at the FAA could affect aviation safety
PBS News Hour's John Yang talks with The Atlantic's Isaac Stanley-Becker about FAA cuts under Trump's workforce shrinkdown: dismissals of probationary employees and early retirements reaching safety-critical staff, and Elon Musk's Starlink offer to upgrade the agency's outdated 2002-era communication system despite conflict-of-interest and cybersecurity concerns. Stanley-Becker says FAA insiders fear critical support roles are being sacrificed, and recommends the agency say more to reassure the workforce.
Musk has inside track to take over contract to fix air traffic communications system
apnews.com· 1y
AP News reports that Starlink equipment from Elon Musk's SpaceX is being installed at Federal Aviation Administration facilities, which sources say is a prelude to taking over a $2 billion Verizon contract to modernize the air traffic communications system, on which nearly $200 million in work has already been done. Musk says the Verizon system is putting air travelers at serious risk, while former FAA officials are alarmed at Starlink's use without adequate testing, and the article argues the episode underscores the conflicts of interest in Musk's dual role as a White House adviser and business mogul.
The Palantir Guide to Saving America’s Soul
newyorker.com· 1y
In a New Yorker essay reviewing Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska's "The Technological Republic," Gideon Lewis-Kraus traces Palantir's rise and its plea for Silicon Valley to recommit to national defense. He finds the book's circular logic wanting, judging that America's institutions were damaged by things done, not by a loss of belief.
Alex Karp - Wikipedia
wikipedia.org· 11y
The Wikipedia article profiles Alex Karp, the American billionaire co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, covering his Philadelphia upbringing, philosophy degrees through a Frankfurt Ph.D., and his founding of Palantir with Peter Thiel in 2003. It notes he was the highest-paid U.S. public-company CEO in 2024 at nearly $6.8 billion, that Forbes and Bloomberg put his net worth above $18 billion in 2025, and quotes him on dyslexia, discrimination, and the corporate elite.
Palantir - Wikipedia
The Wikipedia article on Palantir Technologies covers the American data analytics company founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others, its products—Gotham, Foundry, Apollo, and the AI Platform—and its contracts with governments, militaries, and police forces worldwide. The article also details extensive criticism, including civil liberties groups' concerns over its ICE deportation work, NHS data deals, and surveillance AI, which Palantir and its CEO dispute.
