The Nerd Reich The Woman Who Predicted Tech Fascism — Paulina Borsook Was Right
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Oct 21, 2025 Paulina Borsook, a pioneering writer and critic of Silicon Valley culture, discusses her groundbreaking work, CyberSelfish, and the emergence of tech fascism. She delves into the rise of authoritarianism in Silicon Valley and how libertarian ideals morphed into a global propaganda network. Borsook highlights the failures of tech journalism to recognize these shifts and underscores the emotional deficits within tech culture. The conversation also touches on the impact of masculinity in tech and the importance of truth-telling over hero-worship in journalism.
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Tech Fascism Grew In Plain Sight
- Tech fascism grew openly from Silicon Valley's libertarian culture decades ago.
- Paulina Borsook warned this trend in the 1990s before figures like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel rose to power.
How A Traumatic Injury Led To Tech Writing
- Paulina described being shot in the head at 14 and finding work in tech documentation.
- That job gave her purpose and launched her tech writing career focused on people, not gadgets.
Computers Shape Political Fantasies
- Tech libertarians often prefer the predictability of computers to messy human systems.
- That preference morphs into a political desire to remake society into a controllable, rule-based order.
