Giuliano da Empoli returns to fiction with a novel on tech's new power
Four years after the success of "Le Mage du Kremlin," the writer publishes "Le Fondateur," a novel inspired by Peter Thiel's trajectory and the rise of Silicon Valley's ruling class.

Giuliano da Empoli returns to the novel with "Le Fondateur," four years after "Le Mage du Kremlin" became a phenomenon, according to Bibliobs (Le Nouvel Obs). The new book draws on the career of Peter Thiel, the co-founder of Palantir, to portray the ascent of what da Empoli calls the "tech lords."
In the interview, da Empoli describes what he sees as a shift in that world: a "military turn" taken by what used to be called startup culture. He frames this as part of a broader takeover of power by a new elite, one he characterizes, in the piece's own words, as "sociopathic," busy reinventing society on its own terms.
Bibliobs notes that the book follows "L'Heure des prédateurs," da Empoli's previous work, and marks his return to fiction after the wide readership won by "Le Mage du Kremlin." No further detail on plot, characters or publication specifics is given in the source material.
Au fond, une élite sociopathe est en train de réinventer la société.
Giuliano da Empoli
Sources
This article was written from these reports.

