Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley

In Gilded Rage, Jacob Silverman offers a pointed investigation into how the ethos of Silicon Valley—once rooted in libertarian-tech optimism—has shifted into something darker and more politically radical.

He focuses particularly on figures such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires, and traces their influence on democracy, regulatory policy and the broader contours of American politics.

Through reporting from places like San Francisco, Washington DC, Miami and New York, the book examines how enormous wealth, the promise of life-extension technologies, advances in artificial intelligence, and anti-woke cultural narratives converge in a movement that seeks not just innovation but political and ideological influence.

Silverman argues that what began as a utopian disruption ethos has become a “fusion of corporate and state power” that threatens democratic norms.