Tech billionaires are openly pushing anti-democratic ideas, and Elon Musk shrugs off the risk that AI could destroy humanity — a bad sign for anyone who values ordinary people having a say.

• Shopify's CEO endorsed a plan to strip voting rights from Americans who pay no income tax, with extra votes for higher earners.
• The pitch reflects a wider Silicon Valley mood: the rich should run things because they think they know best.
• Musk put the odds that AI kills off humanity at 10-20%, then brushed it off, saying if he's the one who causes it, at least it'll be exciting.
• Musk admits he tried to control AI, gave up, and joined the race to build it faster.
• Backlash is building across both parties against data centers and the concentration of power, plus a new California wealth tax and rising democratic socialists.

Outlook: Expect tech leaders to keep fighting wealth taxes and public pushback while their power over politics, wars, and AI grows unchecked.