Silicon Valley is notorious for its culture of hubris and extreme wealth, where men who think of themselves as victims are abundant. Nick Clegg, a former politician and Facebook executive, critiqued this culture in a recent book that tracks his careers as an MEP in Brussels, an MP and deputy prime minister in Westminster, and a communications and public policy strategist in San Francisco.
In an interview with the Guardian, Clegg expressed his disdain for the self-pity often displayed by the tech elite. He said, “In Silicon Valley, rather than seeing themselves as fortunate, they perceive themselves as underappreciated, victims. This blend of machismo and self-pity is something I find deeply unattractive.” He added that this culture is evident from figures like Elon Musk to any Silicon Valley podcast. He noted that when one is used to privilege, the notion of equality can feel oppressive.
Clegg praised his former boss, Mark Zuckerberg, however, describing him as thoughtful and endlessly curious about subjects he may not excel in. He stressed that his remarks were not about Zuckerberg personally but about the pervasive culture in Silicon Valley.
Clegg has returned to London after resigning his job in the US amid a shift in Silicon Valley’s political attitudes, where tech billionaires began aligning themselves more closely with Donald Trump.
His book, “How to Save the Internet,” provides an insider look at Meta (formerly Facebook) and highlights how Silicon Valley’s insularity has contributed to its mistakes. Clegg criticized the “herd-like behavior” prevalent in the region, where everyone shares similar habits and fashions.
Comparing the three “bubbles” he has lived in throughout his career, Clegg found Westminster to be “the most insufferable, partly just because of the living on past glories and the pomposity of it.”
Despite his wife, Miriam González Durántez, considering leading a new centrist party in Spain, Clegg has no desire to return to politics personally. Nevertheless, he doesn’t hold back on criticizing the cautious approach of current political figures like Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, wishing they would take more decisive actions instead of the “endless half measures” they currently implement.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/23/nick-clegg-silicon-valley-self-pity-wealthy-men
