Exposing the broligarchy with Carole Cadwalladr

A small group of tech billionaires plays an increasingly prominent role in shaping the world’s largest media platforms and, in some cases, their influence extends into political life. Their worldview is techno-utopian and simultaneously libertarian and authoritarian. According to journalist Carole Cadwalladr, this convergence of corporate and state power has produced what she termed the “Broligarchy” in a 2024 article.
Carole Cadwalladr has written about the intersection of politics and technology for more than a decade. In 2018, she became a household name for her role in exposing the Cambridge Analytica scandal, after which she faced attempts to silence her through both a weaponised libel trial and an overwhelming campaign of online abuse. In early 2025, her contract at The Observer ended after Guardian Media Group sold the paper to a new owner. She has since launched the How to Survive the Broligarchy substack and podcast. Together with a group of former Observer journalists she founded The Nerve in September 2025, with plans to publish in print later in 2026.
Join Stichting Democratie en Media director Nienke Venema as she interviews Carole about her investigations into the power of large Silicon Valley corporations and the men who lead them. What defines their worldview and ideology? How do they wield influence across politics and media? And how can the free press fight back?
Organised in association with Stichting Democratie en Media.