A wave of new technologies is scrambling party politics, plowing through borders, and upending the legacy power of governments and businesses. The blockchain, the metaverse, artificial intelligence AI decision-making, 6G, chips, smart devices, and autonomous vehicles are changing how power is exercised. The technology may be virtual, but the effects are real — from household tasks to the battlefield, from climate solutions to the future of money. Who will write the rules for this new world, and for whose benefit? Where will the EU-US rulemakers and standard setters be based? What are democracy’s prospects in this new digital era?