“A new type of Silicon Valley activism is emerging, however, driven by workers from these companies themselves. Employees at Amazon, Microsoft and Google have joined – and, in some cases, instigated – protests in response to military and law enforcement projects. In April 2018, more than 3,000 Google employees signed a letter to their CEO asking him to disengage from work with the Pentagon. By June, the company had announced its withdrawal. Thiel hasn’t shown any desire for cultural philanthropy to art-wash his ill-gotten gains. As his open support for Trump illustrates, he is impervious to the shame tactics of polite, liberal society. Thiel founded a programme that encourages gifted students to drop out of elite colleges and build start-ups. Many of Silicon Valley’s new billionaires view our institutions not as sites of influence to be appeased but as wasteful, calcified organs of society that should be completely eradicated.”