Democracy is no longer a priority for them: how Musk and his allies are reshaping America and the world.

Time magazine featured a photo of billionaire Elon Musk on the cover of its February issue, showing him sitting at a desk in the Oval Office. The cover references the main article titled "Elon Musk's War with Washington," which discusses the governmental reforms he implemented in the early weeks of Trump's presidency.

In the new administration, Musk holds a unique status. He is accountable only to Trump, who granted one of his largest benefactors the authority to transform the U.S. bureaucratic system according to his beliefs. What are those beliefs?

At first glance, Musk seems to be attempting to replicate the "transformation" of Twitter: after acquiring the social network he cut the workforce by half, including top management, eliminated monthly employee weekends, and remote work.

However, Musk's dismantling of U.S. institutions through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is actually part of a broader ideology that has gained popularity among the most influential figures in Silicon Valley in recent years. They have betrayed the once-steadfast alliance with the Democratic Party and its ideas about equality, and they are hostile to government attempts to regulate their businesses.

Why have the "new oligarchs" of Silicon Valley supported Trump, and how might the idea of "technological monarchies" undermine American institutions?

"Broligarchs" and Where to Find Them

At the beginning of the 20th century, German sociologist Robert Michels articulated the "iron law of oligarchy": in any social organization, regardless of its original democratic nature, power inevitably concentrates in the hands of a small group of leaders over time. Nearly a century later, Michels' law has proven relevant for the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, who have increasingly been referred to as "broligarchs" in the media over the past six months.

This term consists of two parts.

The first part, "bro," comes from the slang term "tech bro." This term typically refers to men working in the IT industry, often at one of the FAANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google), with an annual income exceeding $125,000. A typical tech bro lacks social skills, believes himself superior to his colleagues, and desires high recognition for his work.

The second part, "oligarchs," indicates the growing influence of technology corporations and their leaders. The "broligarchs" include influential founders and top executives, notably Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, as well as some major investors like Peter Thiel or Marc Andreessen.

In his farewell speech, Joe Biden pointed out the growing influence of the technocratic-industrial complex, which could pose a threat to the U.S. He did not name specific individuals but warned that a new elite is forming in the country: an oligarchy of extreme wealth, power, and influence that threatens democracy.

However, "broligarchs" should not be compared to classic oligarchs. Unlike, for instance, major Ukrainian businessmen who amassed their fortunes through card games or privatization, "broligarchs" gained influence through technology.

Their worldview has largely been shaped by science fiction and fantasy: Zuckerberg, inspired by Neal Stephenson's novel "Snow Crash," views the Metaverse not as a warning of dystopia but as a guide for action.

Bezos, inspired by "Star Trek" and the ideas of space colonization, founded Blue Origin. Musk, enchanted by Isaac Asimov's works, dreams of colonizing Mars as a way to save humanity. Andreessen has called for aggressive development of artificial intelligence (AI) with minimal government regulation, likening it to the hero's journey of conquering "dragons" for progress.

"Broligarchs" seek maximum freedom from constraints. It currently appears that they desire not just a government that stays out of their affairs but the ability to operate without strict boundaries—both from democratic institutions and financial systems, as well as within their own ambitious visions of the future.

For a long time, Silicon Valley was a stronghold of the Democratic Party. Even Musk once stood in line for six hours just to shake Barack Obama’s hand, and in 2018, he described himself as politically moderate.

However, in recent years, the relationship between tech billionaires and Democrats has soured. The culmination of this rift was their open support for Trump in the 2024 elections. This choice was not solely dictated by circumstances. Western media has reported on a "rightward shift" in Silicon Valley, indicating deeper ideological changes among its most influential figures.

Ideological motives are not always the primary reason for businessmen shifting to the Republicans' side. The wealthy primarily think about their businesses and their prospects. That is why they typically support the first steps of the new administration silently. Furthermore, not everyone is ready to openly follow Musk or Thiel's lead. Currently, tech billionaires are united by fatigue with the existing political system.

Conflicts with Biden and Neoreactionism

With the arrival of the Biden administration in 2021, the battle against the influence of tech giants began. The executive order he signed to strengthen control over anti-competitive practices defined capitalism without competition as exploitation. The government filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple, Amazon, and Google, accusing them of abusing market power to the detriment of consumers.

Additionally, Biden took on the regulation of artificial intelligence. In 2023, he signed an executive order requiring tech companies to disclose the results of testing powerful AI models to prevent their use in manipulation, discrimination, and threats to national security.

This drew criticism from tech leaders, particularly Andreessen, who condemned attempts at government regulation of AI in his "Manifesto of Tech Optimism." Against this backdrop, relations with the Democratic Party have cooled, and the U.S. political system is not large enough to get lost in while searching for alternatives to the Democrats.

Some influential figures in Silicon Valley share a common goal with the Republicans: to bring Trump back to the White House. Musk has emerged as the leader of this movement, using media and his own social network to support the candidate.

Supporting Trump has not only pragmatic but also ideological dimensions, based on the ideas of neoreactionism. At the center of this movement are Curtis Yarvin and Peter Thiel. Yarvin, a former programmer and one of the founders of the neoreactionary movement, advocates for an alternative to democracy in the form of a "corporate monarchy," where power belongs not to elected officials but to competent "executives."

According to him, the state should resemble a private company, where power is not elected but belongs to the most competent. He cites "the most effective American institutions"—the companies of the "broligarchs" like Tesla, Apple, and Meta—as models for constructing all government management.

Neoreactionaries also argue that the modern world is controlled by a "cabal of liberal elites," who impose "destructive social ideals" of equality and social justice through media and bureaucracy. Some observers of the U.S. tech industry believe that Yarvin's ideas have become the ideological foundation for the Silicon Valley elite, who have lost faith in Western traditions.

Thiel has criticized democracy since his student days. As an entrepreneur and co-founder of PayPal with libertarian views, he actively supports conservative politicians, investing in those he believes can reform the system from within. From JD Vance, whom he helped become a politician, to Blake Masters, who sought to bring the spirit of the "PayPal mafia" to the Senate.

The most well-known neoreactionary in Silicon Valley has become Musk. His "rightward" path—from outrage over quarantine measures in California during the pandemic to disillusionment with democratic values and open conflict with the Biden administration—has signaled a new group of tech billionaires.

Now representatives of the Tech Right