WIRED’s politics issue examines tech's influence on governmental power

Cover credit: Phil Galloway/WIRED

Today, WIRED released its politics issue, examining the state of tech's influence on governmental power — and the people who will change everything in the future. 

From Katie Drummond, global editorial director of WIRED: “You can feel democracy short-circuiting, with every AI-generated edgelord meme posted on official government accounts. One of the most visible changes of 2025, and among the most consequential, is the tech industry’s embrace of President Trump. The industry’s elite have fallen in line, demonstrating their allegiance with increasingly grotesque displays of submission. So what the hell happened to Silicon Valley?”

For the cover story, WIRED Editor at Large Steven Levy traveled to San Francisco, where he first learned to love tech’s counter-cultural renegades in the early 1980s. Now, he returns to find a very different Silicon Valley, where billionaires have traded their ideals for influence and proximity to power. From Zuckerberg’s Mar-a-Lago visits to Bezos’ pivot at The Washington Post, the industry that once spoke truth to power now seems to be falling in line. Levy asks the central question: What happened to the rebels who built the future, and why are they standing by as America takes an authoritarian turn?

Also in the issue, WIRED Contributing Editor Noah Shachtman details how Elon Musk has tightened his grip on space. Between SpaceX and Starlink, Musk now controls both the way into orbit and the ability to turn internet access on or off at will. As the U.S. moves to weaponize space for the first time in decades, his companies are positioned to play a central role. The question is not whether Musk will benefit, but how much power he’ll end up with.

To coincide with the release of the Politics Issue, WIRED is taking its cover to the streets. Across New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Austin and San Francisco, the cover will appear as wheatpasted posters, a mural and digital billboards. Each installation features QR codes that link directly to WIRED’s Politics Issue. Read more information about the national campaign here. 

Check wired.com throughout the week for more stories featured in the politics issue.