The irony wasn’t lost on me when I read that “oligarchy” has become a trending search term following Biden’s farewell speech. Nothing quite captures the state of our democracy like citizens having to Google the very system that’s threatening it.

Looking through online discussions, the mix of dark humor and genuine concern perfectly encapsulates our current moment. Between references to “Idiocracy” and serious debates about wealth inequality, there’s a palpable sense that we’re approaching a critical juncture in history.

The tech world has taken quite a turn lately, hasn’t it? Meta’s recent announcement about dropping fact-checking, combined with Zuckerberg’s peculiar image transformation and Tim Cook’s political donations, paints a disturbing picture of where we’re heading.

From my desk in Richmond, watching these tech billionaires realign themselves feels like observing the final act of a particularly grim play. Gone are the days when Silicon Valley at least pretended to care about making the world a better place. Now, it’s all about naked power grabs and political maneuvering.