Tech billionaire exposes family secrets in Weimar about the syndicate!

Tech billionaire exposes family secrets in Weimar about the syndicate!

With the publication of “social game” on July 9, 2025, a novel by Dora Zwickau, a fascinating look at the combination of technology and social challenges opens up. At the center of history is Zobeir Zeenavand, also known as “Double Z”, a charismatic tech billionaire. He plans to establish a new form of society in Weimar that is supposed to make democracy more efficient. His vision is deeply interwoven with the experiences and secrets of an East German family that are illuminated as part of the “The Syndicate” project.

The central figures of the narrative are Isabelle, an exhausted single teacher, her sister Annika, who returns from the USA after a stroke of her mother, and Dagmar, the tired aunt and sociologist. The relationship between the sisters is characterized by unspoken truths and secrets, which makes family history appear in an emotional light. The book deals with contemporary topics such as motherhood, digital self -optimization and the work realities of today, while current political aspects such as surveillance utopias and the social perception of Germany also play a role.

a critical reflection on democracy and technology

But where does man stay in all of this? Critical readers could notice that some passages look like a political seminar and the figures sometimes appear more like thinking factories that act away from emotional depth. Zwickaus work offers an interesting mix of melancholic and sarcastic tones as well as analytical insights that are enriched with modern narrative forms such as podcast transcripts and group chats.

The book comes into play in an environment in which the power of the tech companies is increasingly criticized. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, recently announced the abolition of fact checks in his platforms, which is interpreted as an approximation to political practices under Donald Trump. Elon Musk, once applied as a liberal, also faces criticism because he influences the political landscape. There are also heated debates on their responsibility and lack of transparency about the role of Jeff Bezos and other tech giants, as reports.

The influence of artificial intelligence on society

Another terrifying trend is the increasing polarization of society, which has arisen as a result of a changed media consumption. Influential personalities on social media have established themselves as alternative sources of information, and fewer and fewer people have trusted traditional reporting. According to current surveys, the trust of the population in the media has dropped from 48% to 47%, and trust in the government has also experienced significant declines. The [Federal Center for Political Education] (https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschratzen/apuz/ election campaign-2025/558872/systematic-manipulation--szial-Medien-im-zeitalter-der-ki/) emphasizes that access to reliable information is crucial for our democracy.

With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence Since the introduction of Chatgpt in 2022, new challenges for public discourse have been created. Political actors use platform algorithms and emotional activation through polarizing content to spread their messages. A clear need for action can be seen: the development of a code of conduct for political parties and public reconnaissance campaigns are just a few of the suggestions to combat attempts at manipulation and to strengthen trust in the institutions.

Overall, “board game” by Dora Zwickau not only offers an interesting novel, but also stimulates thinking about the complex links between technology, society and democracy. It remains to be seen how developments in the digital world will continue to influence our social structures.