Wealthy supporters of Trump envision a tech dominance shaped by right-wing ideologies.
In the forthcoming era of Washington D.C., the atmosphere is shaping up to be governed by powerful tech tycoons like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, with Donald Trump's endorsement. Their primary objective is to dismantle democracy and establish themselves as autocratic CEOs. Trump's running mate, JD Vance, is already in sync with this idea.
In this chilling futuristic dystopia, conceptualized by programmer Curtis Yarvin (alias "Mencius Moldbug"), the tech-rich Silicon Valley is no longer a city but a kingdom ruled by a single, highly influential corporation: "Friscorp". Individuals deemed unproductive or rebellious against the tech aristocracy face a grim fate: they're transformed into biofuel for city buses.
In Yarvin's bleak digital dictatorship, he proposes "virtualization" as a "humane alternative to genocide" for regime opponents, subjecting them to eternal solitary confinement in an immersive virtual reality environment.
Yarvin views the current political system as obsolete and necessitating an upgrade. He identifies as an "extremist", condones slavery as a "natural human relationship", and considers the 14th-century feudalism as an "improvement" over democracy. This grimly depicted Matrix-esque digital dictatorship was once dismissed as mere science fiction or a crackpot's delusion, but with Trump's involvement, it seems to be inching closer to reality.
Trump's association with ultra-reactionary Silicon Valley capitalists has become a looming threat for the American presidency. Leading tech venturers, like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, share Yarvin's esoteric views and aspire to rule as CEO kings. JD Vance, Trump's prospective VP, also championed Yarvin's ideologies.
Their ideology advocates for the United States to be managed like a corporation, with businesspeople like them and Trump serving as its privileged governors in an absolute, unchecked elite. Thoughts of authoritarianism from the past are rejuvenated with a contemporary, erudite veneer: they dream of a "Silicon Reich," as warned by US magazine "The Baffler" in 2014.
"Americans must conquer their fear of dictators"
Yarvin, son of diplomats, skipped three grades, entered high school at 12, and was likely one of the first individuals online during the late 80s, when the internet was limited to university researchers and tech enthusiasts.
From the internet's nascent days, the radical views of the prodigy became apparent. He holds that the U.S. is governed by unseen elites in media, science, and politics, a clandestine ruling body he calls "The Cathedral". Now, his ultimate goal is nothing less than to overthrow the U.S. government and transform the U.S. into a tech monarchy. "A government is simply a corporation managing the country. Coincidentally, our sovereign corporation is being managed incompetently," he wrote in 2012. Therefore, Yarvin aims to dismantle the U.S. government, just as you would with any ailing company: "delete" it. He believes in the necessity of a "national CEO": "That's what you call a dictator. If Americans want to change their government, they must conquer their dictator fear."
Following his time as a computer science doctoral student at Berkeley, Yarvin found financial backing for his ideas in Silicon Valley. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and early investor in Facebook, became his main supporter. Thiel's ideology aligns with Yarvin's, being an advocate for libertarianism, apocalyptic preparations, and immortality through young blood transfusions. Thiel and Yarvin share a remarkable affinity: "I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible," Thiel expressed in a Cato Institute essay many years ago.
Yarvin was a frequent guest at Thiel's 2016 election party and celebrated Trump's victory with him. Supposedly, Yarvin acts as Thiel's personal philosopher and coach, as suggested in leaked emails. Thiel invested in Yarvin's software startup, Tlon, in 2013. Since Trump's presidency, Thiel has been a close ally, speaking at the Republican National Convention, donating generously to Trump and the Republican Party, and opening doors in the tech industry for him.
Following a dip in Thiel's connection with Trump, it appears their relationship is heating up once more. Reports suggest Trump was swayed by Thiel to select his top protege, JD Vance, as his running mate. Thiel has served as Vance's financial sponsor and architect in his political career. For the majority of his professional life, excluding military service, Vance has operated under Thiel's tutelage. After a lecture at Yale, Vance reached out to Thiel, who later brought him on board at his venture capital firm, Mithril Capital, in San Francisco. When Vance established his own fund, Thiel provided financial backing. Similarly, he supported Vance's political aspirations, financially contributing $15 million to his Senate campaign in Ohio in 2022. It was also Thiel who introduced Vance to Trump in early 2021.
Thiel and Vance are strong adherents of Yarvin, particularly his vision of obliterating the state. Vance has publicly advocated for this idea for years. In 2021, he urged Trump to enact this dark vision after his re-election. "Our leaders are so corrupt," Vance remarked in an interview with a right-wing blogger. "We need to excise the current American leadership class like a tumor and then establish some sort of American political credo," said Vance. When asked how this could be accomplished, aside from elections, Vance replied, "There's this guy, Curtis Yarvin, who has written about some of these things."
Yarvin aptly christened his program RAGE ("Retire All Government Employees"), capturing the notion's intensity. This goes beyond Argentine President Javier Milei's state-destroying philosophy, which only aims to dissolve certain ministries. While Milei desires to dismantle some parts of the state, Yarvin and Vance seek to completely deconstruct it.
Yarvin proposed Elon Musk as the potential supreme dictator decades ago. Although Musk hasn't publicly backed Yarvin's ideas yet, he acts as the necktie king that Yarvin desires, leading the USA as a tech CEO. Musk is renowned for his power dreams, evident in his proclamations of saving free speech upon purchasing Twitter or proposing to impregnate Taylor Swift without her consent on X, his platform.
The wealthiest man on Earth has transformed from a groundbreaking tech pioneer into the most significant Trump supporter and reactionary. He's no longer just financing Trump's campaign but is also rolling out the red carpet for him with his 200 million followers and warmly welcoming Trump at his campaign events.
If Trump is elected, Musk, Thiel, and Yarvin may gain direct access to the White House. Yarvin's vision of an absolute tech dictatorship might materialize sooner than anticipated. The moguls openly flirt with their royal aspirations. Elon Musk has officially crowned himself "Technoking of Tesla" since 2021.
In this alternate reality, right-wing populist ideas, such as Curtis Yarvin's vision of a tech monarchy, become increasingly mainstream. Silicon Valley capitalists, like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who share these ideologies, dream of ruling as CEO kings.
With Trump's endorsement and his running mate, JD Vance, aligning with this vision, the prospect of an authoritarian tech-led government in the United States becomes increasingly tangible.
