The question of power has fundamentally shifted in the digital 21st century. Operating systems, platforms and artificial intelligence have made tech entrepreneurs immeasurably rich. Their technologies also give them powerful tools to influence political moods and create dependencies. Silicon Valley tycoons such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel gain access to the highest levels of government and shake up state constitutions. They use their power of dollars and data to propagate a libertarian world view that calls into question the central principles of the democratic order. Are technology and money now the decisive sources of power? What new forms of influence are emerging through data, platforms and AI? How do democratic institutions react to globally active tech companies - and where do they reach their limits? What power do citizens have to help shape or counteract these developments?

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