Captured

The Secret Behind Silicon Valley’s AI Takeover

De: Christopher Wylie, Isobel Cockerell, Becky Lipscombe

Narrado por: Christopher Wylie, Isobel Cockerell

Captured: The Secret Behind Silicon Valley’s AI Takeover is a thrilling journey into the hidden worlds of the tech elite, and a whistleblower’s look into the sci-fi future they’re building for all of us.

Seven years ago, a pink-haired young data analyst called Christopher Wylie blew the whistle on a company called Cambridge Analytica. The scandal he unleashed revealed how millions of Facebook users’ data was being harvested to influence elections. It was supposed to be a turning point—one where the tech companies were regulated, their power kept in check. But Silicon Valley is now more powerful than ever. President Trump is back in the White House with tech billionaire Elon Musk by his side, and the tech giants are racing to build AI systems that could give them unprecedented power over our lives.

Our destiny is being imagined for us by some of the richest and most powerful people in the world. They’re promising they can solve all our problems—end toil and suffering, and propel us into a utopia where we can live forever and never have to work.

AI has become the new religion. Are we going to follow it? Do we even have a choice? Or have the tech evangelists captured our future? Join Christopher Wylie and Coda Story’s Isobel Cockerell as they journey from exclusive crypto parties in Dubai, to the slums of Kenya where thousands of hidden workers are training AI models, to the hacker palaces of San Francisco where tech’s true believers talk about merging computers with our brains.

Note that this production incorporates limited uses of AI to illustrate how AI functions and is applied in various contexts.

©2025 Coda Story (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC

Absolutely loved this podcast!

Insightful, engaging, and incredibly well-produced. The hosts do a fantastic job of diving into the topic and keeping things interesting. If you’re curious about who’s really designing our future and whether we have any say in it, this is a must-listen, highly recommend!

Interesting

They covered several different topics and interviewed a variety of people. They had engaging discussions and interesting outcomes.

objective journalism!

I appreciated the short duration. This is journalism at its finest. Today, news GIVES you your opinion. This book presents information in a way that allows me to think for myself. Truly enjoyed this book

A provacative listen

I learned some things. A very interesting tour of the forces and opinions driving AI

Insane possibilities

I did thoroughly enjoy this Audible original, it shows the insane possibility of our future, and it also shows the pluses and minuses to humanity, and what humanity can create with intelligence. I felt there was a little bit of political bias involved in this, but aside from that it was very well done

Captivating and interesting

Review: Captured: The Secret Behind Silicon Valley’s AI Takeover. By Coda Story | Created by Isobel and Natalia Antelav. In Captured: The Secret Behind Silicon Valley’s AI Takeover, Coda Story has delivered one of the most urgent and necessary pieces of investigative journalism in recent years. Created by the brilliant Isobel and Natalia Antelava, this podcast does far more than pull back the curtain on AI—it redefines what accountability journalism can (and must) look like in the age of powerful, unregulated technology.

Pulling Back the Curtain on Power, Not Just Technology

Unlike many media treatments of AI that focus on innovation or speculative futures, Captured focuses on what’s already happening—who’s gaining power, who’s being silenced, and how the very infrastructure of our societies is being reshaped by a handful of companies with little transparency and even less oversight.

Isobel and Natalia take us into the underbelly of Silicon Valley, where decisions made behind closed doors have global consequences. What unfolds is not just a tale of technological development, but a chilling portrait of modern empire-building—one driven by data, algorithms, and unchecked ambition.

Investigative Journalism at Its Best

What makes this podcast stand apart is the dogged, courageous, global reporting. The Coda team connects dots across borders, from lobbying in Washington to surveillance regimes in authoritarian states, to the weaponization of AI in warfare. It’s rare to see such breadth and depth handled so deftly.

This is not “parachute journalism”—it’s the work of seasoned reporters who understand the global stakes and are willing to follow the story wherever it leads.

Giving Voice to the Silenced

At its heart, Captured is about people—those whose lives are quietly, often invisibly, impacted by these technologies. Whistleblowers, policy experts, citizens caught in surveillance nets, and voices from the Global South who are often excluded from the AI conversation—Captured makes room for all of them.

It’s a deeply human podcast, which is precisely what makes its message resonate so strongly.

Technically Flawless, Narratively Gripping

Beyond its reporting, the show is a triumph of audio storytelling. The sound design, pacing, and narrative structure are all elegant and thoughtful, enhancing the content without ever distracting from it. The tone strikes a perfect balance—urgent but never alarmist, serious without being dry, intimate without being sentimental.

Every episode builds toward something larger, leaving the listener with both outrage and clarity.

A Wake-Up Call and a Blueprint

The brilliance of Captured is that it doesn’t just diagnose the problem—it forces us to ask: who gets to decide what kind of future we live in? What happens when the architects of our digital reality answer to no one? And, more importantly, what can be done?

The podcast doesn’t pretend to have easy answers—but it demands we engage with the questions. In doing so, it becomes more than a media project. It becomes a civic act.

This Kind of Reporting Is the Future — If There Is One

In a world drowning in misinformation, corporate spin, and attention-span-shattering noise, Captured is proof that serious, ethical journalism still matters. And more than that—it’s a reminder that it might be one of the few things that can still hold power to account.

This kind of excellent reporting is the future—if there is one.

And for that, we owe immense gratitude to Isobel, Natalia Antelava, and the entire Coda team. Their work isn’t just impressive—it’s vital. It sets the bar for what journalism should be in the age of AI and beyond. Let’s hope the world is listening.

Wow!!!!

I was so impressed. I learned so much and couldn’t stop listening. A must listen for everyone. Most importantly it leaves you thinking with even more questions.

Thank you!

I appreciate te work and risk that went into creating this wonderful and informative piece.

Eye opening and thought provoking

A very though provoking book. One that makes you question sole intent of gov, corporations, humans around us. A insight for people to question and not walk or follow blindly into the night but to question.

They showed that innocent seeming things can be down right evil.

It was likeable due to the interesting nature of the overall plot. It also opens our eyes regarding the greed and evil behind data collection and how it is being used and how money 💰 not people is what really matters to these organizations that do desperately want our personal information. It makes a guy paranoid about disclosure of said data. That's about it. K, bye