A banner displaying Palantir Technologies Inc. signage during the company's initial public offering (IPO) in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020.

Amy Chua and Peter Thiel attend Inauguration Eve hosted by Uber, X and The Free Press at Cafe Riggs on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

A monument of the Ten Commandments outside the Capitol, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas.

President-elect Donald Trump arrives to watch SpaceX's Starship rocket lift off for a flight test with Elon Musk from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, speaks during the Bitcoin 2022 Conference at Miami Beach Convention Center.

Austin-based tech billionaire Joe Lonsdale is “the most important thought leader in the world today,” according to the Texas Association of Business’ president.

TAB’s Glenn Hamer’s sycophantic declaration came shortly after an unnerving interview with Lonsdale at the group’s policy conference. From declaring that corporations discriminate against white men to demanding an end to most government regulations, Lonsdale’s rapid-fire answers to the world’s most pressing problems provided insight into the tech bro takeover of our nation.

Lonsdale runs with the Elon Musk crowd. Both made fortunes working alongside their friend Peter Thiel, a California tech billionaire known for right wing extremism. Thiel worked with

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