| From crypto to A.I., the tech sector is pouring millions into super PACS that intimidate politicians into supporting its agenda.  Illustration by Javier Jaén Silicon Valley once considered politics to be a waste of time—a backward, crudely analog endeavor that had little to do with a digital vision of the future. But now, as Charles Duhigg writes in this week’s issue, “the tech industry has quietly become one of the most powerful lobbying forces in American politics,” and “it is wielding that power as previous corporate special interests have: to bully, cajole, and remake the nation as it sees fit.” Perhaps the most concentrated lobbying effort is being made on behalf of the cryptocurrency industry, which is spending many millions and making significant demands of the Presidential candidates. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both clearly listening—maybe because they need the campaign money, but also because they need the votes. Duhigg introduces us to a former Clinton White House lawyer—now a California political guru—who has done as much as anyone to cultivate a new single-issue constituency this cycle: the crypto voter. Further Reading: Charles Bethea recently went looking for crypto voters in Atlanta, where many said they would cast their ballot for whichever candidate gives alternative currency a boost. | 
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