They steer the global economy, dictate government agendas, and influence our choices. Can we really afford to know nothing about them?

In little more than a decade, a handful of technology companies have risen to the top of the global economy. Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Musk’s group, Nvidia: this is the small club of companies worth more than one trillion dollars. Before them, no one had ever reached such heights. But how did they get there? And how do they use these seemingly limitless resources?
If their empire was built on the digital revolution, today the same companies are leading the development of artificial intelligence. And not only that. The new space race, intelligent robotics, e-commerce, and much more are once again in the hands of the usual players. To secure their dominance, they build energy-hungry data centers that leave a lasting mark on the planet. They launch satellites and lay cables across the ocean floor. They reshape cultural consumption worldwide and influence information flows and democracy itself. In short, no area of everyday life escapes this top-down revolution, where decisions are made by a new technological oligarchy.
Luca Balestrieri retraces the rapid path that has brought us here, describing the technological ecosystem we are immersed in and its dense network of connections—geopolitical ones included. In the clash between the United States and China, fought through microchips, AI models, tariffs, and sanctions, can Europe still rein in the power of Big Tech and defend its own sovereignty?