'Fentanyl Capitalism': How Tech Venture Capital Is Eating the World | Catherine Bracy x Gil Duran
Silicon Valley sold us the dream of saving the world—but what if the system funding that dream is the real problem?
In this explosive episode of the Nerd Reich Podcast, host Gil Duran sits down with Catherine Bracey, founder of Tech Equity Collaborative and author of "World Eaters: How Venture Capital Is Cannibalizing the Economy."
Together they unpack “fentanyl capitalism”—the idea that if capitalism is heroin, venture capital is its far more potent and dangerous form.
From the whaling origins of VC to blitzscaling, MAGA politics, and Silicon Valley’s god complex, Bracy explains how tech’s obsession with unicorns, power laws, and exits is warping innovation, democracy, and faith itself.
00:00 Intro – Why VC is Fentanyl Capitalism
04:20 The Whaling Origins of Venture Capital
09:40 Blitzscaling & the Psychology of Unicorns
17:30 VC Meets MAGA Politics
26:00 Hereticon, Antichrist & Tech’s Spiritual Crisis
28:40 Can We Fix It or Let It Burn?
33:00 Lightning Round & Final Words of Wisdom
📚 Buy "World Eaters" → https://bookshop.org/p/books/world-eaters-how-venture-capital-is-cannibalizing-the-economy-catherine-bracy/ff2a78cff5580674?ean=9780593473481&next=t
💌 Subscribe → http://www.thenerdreich.com
#tech #venturecapital #SiliconValley #WorldEaters #TechEquity #FentanylCapitalism #PeterThiel #AndreessenHorowitz #Politics #AI #Neoliberalism #podcast
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The Woman Who Predicted Tech Fascism — Paulina Borsook Was Right
Tech fascism didn’t rise in secret — it grew in plain sight. Why didn't we stop it?
In this episode of The Nerd Reich Podcast, host Gil Duran speaks with legendary tech critic Paulina Borsook, author of Cyberselfish, the prophetic book that warned about the rise of Silicon Valley authoritarianism decades before Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and the far-right tech elite took power.
We dive deep into how Silicon Valley’s toxic libertarianism evolved into a global far-right propaganda machine, why tech journalists failed to sound the alarm, and what happens next as AI, surveillance, and billionaire power reshape democracy.
🔥 Chapters & Highlights:
00:00 – Tech Fascism 101: How Silicon Valley Went Authoritarian
07:15 – The Forgotten Prophet: Paulina Borsook and Cyberselfish
20:30 – Why Journalists Worshipped Tech Billionaires
35:00 – Elon Musk’s X and the Global Far-Right Network
48:50 – The Masculinity Problem in Tech
1:02:00 – Can Democracy Survive Tech Fascism?
💬 Join the conversation in the comments:Why did the media fail to warn us about tech fascism? How do we stop the tech billionaires now?
Please Support Paulina Borsook: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-paulina-disabled-writer-artist-and-activist
📖 Read Gil Duran’s work → http://www.thenerdreich.com
#tech #TechFascism #ElonMusk #PaulinaBorsook #SiliconValley #PeterThiel #AI #Politics #podcast #technology
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Project 2025, Silicon Valley & the Tech's War on Democracy | The Nerd Reich Podcast Mailbag
What happens when Project 2025, Silicon Valley, and AI collide?
In this Nerd Reich Mailbag episode, host Gil Duran sits down with Brooke Harrington (author of "Offshore: Stealth Wealth and The New Colonialism) and Adam Becker (author of "More Everything Forever") to answer listener questions about authoritarianism, AI power, and the new tech-driven assault on democracy.
🔥 Topics include:
How Project 2025 was planned like a “war against America”
The rise of the Tech Right — Musk, Thiel, and the Silicon Valley elite
How AI and algorithms are reshaping politics and power
The “Dark Enlightenment” and the anti-human turn in tech
Why dystopian science fiction was supposed to be a warning — not a blueprint
This episode is part political analysis, part cultural autopsy — and a call to understand how authoritarianism is accelerating in the digital age.
🎙️ Featuring: Brooke Harrington — Professor of Economic Sociology, Dartmouth College Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ebharrington.bsky.social
Adam Becker — Astrophysicist & author of "More Everything Forever" Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adambecker.bsky.social
Gil Duran — Host. Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gilduran.com
Follow on X: https://x.com/gilduran76?lang=en
R.R. Robbins — Producer
📧 Subscribe to the Nerd Reich newsletter → http://www.thenerdreich.com
💬 Leave a comment — your question might be in the next Mailbag episode!
#Project2025 #AI #tech #siliconvalley #elonmusk #peterthiel #Authoritarianism #SiliconValley #TechRight #PoliticalPodcast #crypto #podcast #politics #sciencefiction
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The Antichrist Playbook: Peter Thiel & Silicon Valley Apocalypse Hype
What’s behind Silicon Valley’s sudden obsession with the Antichrist, demons, and apocalypse? Why is Peter Thiel launching a secret four-part lecture series on the Antichrist—and why are figures like Nicole Shanahan calling Burning Man “demonic”?
We pull back the curtain with two heavyweight thinkers:
• Dr. Robert Fuller, author of "Naming the Antichrist: The History of an American Obsession," on how U.S. culture keeps resurrecting the Antichrist meme—and why it turns political debate into a zero-sum holy war.
• Dr. Matthew Fox, renowned theologian and creator of the creation spirituality movement, on how apocalyptic language is being weaponized—and what authentic spirituality asks of us today.
You’ll learn: What the Bible actually says (and doesn’t) about the “Antichrist.”
How the Antichrist fused with the “Beast” of Revelation in popular imagination.
Why apocalyptic rhetoric moves crowds, fuels polarization, and excuses extremism.
How tech billionaires’ “religious” branding intersects with power, media, and regulation.
Practical ways to de-mystify doomsday talk and re-center ethics, empathy, and democracy.
SUBSCRIBE to the Nerd Reich Newsletter for more hard-hitting exposés: http://www.thenerdreich.com
Follow Gil Duran on social media:
X: https://x.com/gilduran76?lang=en
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/gilduran.com
#PeterThiel #siliconvalley #antichrist #apocalypse #endtimes #jesus #jesuschrist #bible #biblestudy #tech #burningman #Religion #tech #technology #AI #demons #christianity #christian #BiblicalProphecy #PoliticalTheology #MatthewFox #RobertFuller #TechBillionaires #apocalypse #NerdReich #armageddon
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Mark Zuckerberg’s $300M Doomsday Fortress: Bunkers, Burial Grounds & Big Tech’s Apocalypse Plan
Why is Mark Zuckerberg building a $300 million mansion fortress on Kauai with underground bunkers, blast-proof doors, and room for over 100 people?
In this episode of the Nerd Reich Podcast, host Gil Duran is joined by journalists Guthrie Scrimgeour and Taylor Lorenz to unpack the chilling reality of Silicon Valley’s “apocalypse insurance.”
We dive into:
How Zuckerberg’s compound resembles a classified military installation
The controversy over Native Hawaiian burial grounds
The secret NDAs silencing hundreds of local workers
Why tech billionaires are obsessed with doomsday prepping
The cult-like mentality fueling digital feudalism and “network states”
AI, wealth inequality, and the future these billionaires are really preparing for
From Peter Thiel’s New Zealand hideout to Sam Altman’s Big Sur escape plan, we explore why the same people promising a tech utopia are building escape routes from the society they helped create.
SUBSCRIBE to the Nerd Reich Newsletter: https://www.thenerdreich.com/ Follow Gil Duran on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/gilduran.com
Follow Taylor Lorenz on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE to User Mag https://www.usermag.co/
Follow Guthrie Scrimgeour on Twitter: https://x.com/g_scrimgeour Read his stories at Wired: https://www.wired.com/author/guthrie-scrimgeour/
Chapters: 00:00 Intro – Zuckerberg’s Hawaiian fortress revealed 02:04 How Wired uncovered the $300M bunker 06:40 Surveillance, secrecy & “Fight Club” rules for workers 09:07 Burial grounds and Native Hawaiian land rights 13:38 The tech bro “apocalypse insurance” trend 17:39 Cult-like Silicon Valley communities 22:15 Billionaire separation vs. public “connection” 24:22 Digital feudalism in action 26:45 AI optimism vs. bunker paranoia 31:27 When AI replaces local journalists 37:00 Substack’s Nazi newsletter scandal 40:11 Closing thoughts 💬
Join the conversation: Do you think tech billionaires are paranoid geniuses… or planning for a future they helped break? Comment below. #markzuckerberg #zuckerberg #politics #doomsdaypreppers #doomsday #prepper #Hawaii #TaylorLorenz #siliconvalley #apocalypse #tech #facebook #ai #hawaii #podcast
The Nerd Reich with Gil Duran a podcast about Silicon Valley politics and power—who holds it, how they use it, and how the unchecked influence of tech billionaires threatens democracy.The Nerd Reich investigates the rise of Silicon Valley’s ruling class, the Network State cult, and the crypto-fueled push to undermine democratic government. From billionaire-backed disinformation to AI-driven control systems, we expose how tech elites are reshaping society in their image—concentrating wealth, destabilizing institutions, and eroding public trust.
The Nerd Reich with Gil Duran breaks down how crypto scams, surveillance capitalism, and digital authoritarianism are accelerating the decline of democratic governance. If you care about power, politics, and the future of truth itself—this is the podcast you need to hear.
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