Tech billionaires increasingly have access to the levers of power inside government, while they tighten their control over the channels we rely on to push back against that power and hold it to account.

This week, Elliot and Matt explore how Silicon Valley’s self-styled disruptors became part of the governing class - from Peter Thiel’s network inside the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE, to the unnamed algorithms who are the new editors-in-chief of our politics and culture.

What happens when the people inside government also control the public square? And if politicians can be voted out but platform owners cannot, who will push back against Big Tech's big build of their very own private state?

Chapters ➡

00:00 Introduction to the influence of big tech on society
02:29 Historical parallels: religion and power in governance
04:09 Private Wealth and Political Power
06:08 Peter Thiel's Political Network
09:39 DOGE and the Conflict of Interest
11:43 Silicon Valley's Broken Promise
17:52 Algorithms Replace Editors
21:55 How Algorithms Shape the Information Diet
23:28 Profit, Monopoly and Democratic Power
26:43 Why Platform Power Can't Be Voted Out
28:05 Media Literacy and Alternatives

Watch and subscribe to the channel now, as well as our Substack, and on your favourite podcasting channels at: https://worthknowingpod.com