THE RISE OF THE TECH ELITE

A billionaire controls the news you read. Another shapes how you communicate online. A third determines how you shop and what products you see. Together, they possess more wealth than entire nations and wield unprecedented power over your daily life. 

Welcome to the twenty-first century, where a handful of tech billionaires have quietly stockpiled not just astronomical wealth, but the ability to shape democracy itself. Their influence extends far beyond their bank accounts. It reaches into the media you consume, the information you access, and increasingly, the political decisions that affect your future. 

While these tech moguls position themselves as visionaries building a better world, their growing control over media, politics, and technology is creating power structures that increasingly resemble authoritarian regimes rather than democratic ideals. 

This blog examines how figures like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and others are not just accumulating wealth, but using it to consolidate power, shape global narratives, and ultimately shape humanity's future—all without any democratic oversight or accountability. 

Wealth Disparity

To illustrate the extreme disparity in wealth, consider Jeff Bezos. At his peak, his net worth surpassed the GDP of entire countries, including nations like Hungary, New Zealand, and many African countries. While national economies support millions of people, Bezos’s wealth is concentrated in one individual.

Allow me to repeat this statement again: a country takes care of millions of people, where in Amazon´s case, 1 single man is king.

With such massive resources, he can influence public life, from funding schools and charities to owning one of the most prominent newspapers, The Washington Post. This wealth also allows him to invest in projects that serve personal ambitions, like space travel through Blue Origin.

This level of wealth concentration is part of a larger trend. In 2023, the world’s top billionaires collectively held trillions of dollars in assets, a sum larger than the combined wealth of the bottom 50% of the global population. This isn't just financial capital, it is political, technological, and social power in tangible form.

Influence over Media, Politics, and Technology 

Media Control: Owning or controlling media outlets has long been a powerful way to shape public perception. Jeff Bezos’s ownership of The Washington Post provides him with an influential platform, allowing him to play a role in defining how news is reported on a global scale. 

Similarly, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X) turned him into the gatekeeper of one of the world’s largest communication platforms. Musk has used the platform to promote personal ideologies and political agendas, often amplifying misinformation. With the 2024 election approaching, Musk has displayed a willingness to promote candidates like Donald Trump while disparaging others - such as Kamala Harris and Democratic leaders - thus encouraging a divisive and potentially misleading narrative.

Through his ownership, they now possess a megaphone with which to shape political ideas and issues to an audience of millions, often without restraint or fact-checking. 

The simple fact is that it is dangerous that a few people have so much control over what information the public sees, especially now when fake news already causes so much confusion and chaos.

Political Influence: Billionaires wield influence over politics through direct donations, lobbying, and even shaping public policy by funding think tanks and advocacy groups. These high-tech leaders are lobbying aggressively in Washington to ensure they maintain control over the future policies and regulations that guide their own technologies. These efforts give them unprecedented access to lawmakers and can push for legislation that aligns with their interests.

This influence has contributed to weak regulations around data privacy, AI ethics, monopolistic practices, and even labor laws, allowing them to preserve their dominance in the industry and avoid significant government oversight. 

Tech as a Control Mechanism: Beyond direct political and media influence, billionaires are using technology to indirectly guide human behavior. From Amazon’s data-gathering algorithms to Google’s and Meta’s (formerly Facebook) social influence, these companies track users, collect data, and shape algorithms that affect daily life. These technological tools can influence purchasing habits, determine which information is seen or hidden, and subtly manipulate emotions and opinions. This power goes far beyond traditional media; it is embedded in the platforms we rely on, giving tech billionaires an invisible, universal influence over society.

The Tech-Utopian Mindset 

A common trait among tech billionaires is the “tech-utopian” mindset - a belief that technology can solve humanity’s biggest challenges ranging from poverty and hunger to climate change and disease, and that those in control of this technology are best suited to guide society toward a brighter future. For instance, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, often promotes the view that AI advancements will eradicate hunger, eliminate war, and cure diseases, portraying AI as a savior that will create a new golden age.

Elon Musk’s vision for a “multi-planetary species” sounds appealing on the surface, yet it reflects a desire to reshape humanity’s future based on his personal ambitions rather than a public mandate. This “greater good” ideology can quickly become a justification for unchecked control. However grand these visions might be, they often overlook the practical complexities of society and democracy, where diverse input and regulation are essential to fair governance. Again, the danger of such utopian thinking lies in its presumption that technological elites - rather than democratic representatives - are best suited to chart society’s path forward.

The Risk of Emerging Authoritarianism 

A New Breed of Political Alliance: The partnership between billionaires and politicians creates a new kind of risk to democracy. When wealthy business leaders control major companies, technology platforms, and media outlets, they gain significant power over public opinion and policy. Take Elon Musk's alliance with Donald Trump as an example. This combination of corporate and political power raises concerns, especially when Trump has actually and directly made the comment that he would be a dictator ´only on day one´. 

This alliance between ultra-wealthy business figures and political leaders could create a system where private money has too much control over public decisions. When billionaires and politicians work together this closely, it becomes more difficult for ordinary citizens to challenge their choices or hold them accountable. This threatens the basic principles of democratic society, where power should remain with the people rather than concentrated in the hands of a wealthy few.

The Consequence for Society: There's a real danger when powerful elites gain too much control over society. Trump's concerning statement that after re-election, Americans "won't have to worry about voting again," shows how democracy could be at risk. 

Meanwhile, Musk claims to be "saving democracy" while supporting Trump, which raises questions about their shared vision for the future. When tech billionaires and politicians work together, they could create a system where regular citizens lose their voice. Tech companies already control much of the information we see, and when combined with political power, this could lead to a society that mainly serves the interests of the wealthy and powerful. 

If we don't stop this trend now, regular citizens could lose all their power to shape society's future. Their only option would be to follow and support these powerful figures just to have any voice at all.

Conclusion 

The age of billionaire control is not merely a product of wealth - it is the creation of a new kind of power, one that challenges the democratic principles upon which modern society is built. As billionaires increasingly shape the rules of the digital world, humanity faces a choice: Will we let a few individuals determine the path forward, or will we find ways to hold them accountable?

The stakes couldn't be higher. If we fail to act now, we risk sliding into a new form of digital authoritarianism where wealth equals power, and democracy exists in name only. The time to defend democracy is now. We must act now with urgency and vigilance. The unchecked power of tech billionaires isn't just creating greater inequality - it's directly threatening our personal freedoms and the core principles of democracy. The longer we wait to address this threat, the harder it will become to preserve our democratic values.

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas