The CEO-Dictator Playbook

In today's FrameLab: First, a short introduction (2 minutes) to my piece on Elon Musk's CEO-Dictator Playbook. Second, an important book club update.

As we witness Elon Musk's effort to dismantle our government, it's crucial to grasp the underlying strategy. While it's tempting to see Musk's actions as "chaos" or "incompetence," that's a misinterpretation. I believe Musk's attack on the United States government is strategic and systematic.

I spent much of last year writing about an extreme ideology emerging from Silicon Valley. This ideology calls for tech CEOs to take over existing governments (or create new governments of their own). Much of what we see happening today was outlined in the five-piece series I wrote for the New Republic, which examined the philosophical framework of something called the Network State.

In July, I wrote about Curtis Yarvin, a San Francisco computer programmer who believes democracy should be replaced with corporate dictatorship. Specifically, he suggested purging the federal government of pro-democracy types and replacing them with people who would essentially be loyal to a dictator. He called this idea RAGE: Retire All Government Employees.

We see the same idea being executed today via DOGE: Destruction of Government by Elon, which seeks to purge the government and replace key personnel with people loyal to Elon Musk. This also fits with Yarvin's plans, which have been quoted by none other than J.D. Vance.

In 2022, Yarvin laid out a clear vision for a second Trump term: Install a CEO-like figure to run the country like a corporation (Note: Specifically, run it like Twitter). Fire government workers. Replace them with loyal followers. Then, take control of the media and information systems. Sound familiar?

Today, Elon Musk is following this blueprint precisely. He's positioning himself as an unelected dictator over government agencies. He's demanding mass resignations of federal workers. He's installing young, inexperienced loyalists in their place. And he seems to be wielding the power of the presidency while Trump busies himself playing golf.

Over at The Nerd Reich, my newsletter focused on extremist tech politics, I wrote at length about the CEO-Dictator Playbook and how it seems to be coming to fruition in Musk's Washington. You can read the piece here:

‘Reboot’ Revealed: Elon Musk’s CEO-Dictator Playbook

In 2022, one of Peter Thiel’s favorite thinkers envisioned a second Trump Administration in which the federal government would be run by a “CEO”

The Nerd ReichGil Duran

This is alarming stuff, and I can already hear the question: What can we do about it? The first step is to be aware of what is happening. Most media outlets are currently imposing a superficial narrative on the situation, one that leaves out crucial details. That must change. The American people can't properly react to the situation if they have no idea what is happening: A hostile takeover of government by corporate maniacs who despise democracy and enrich themselves by destroying the public good.

I also lay out some of the main ideas in this video, "Silicon Valley's Playbook to Destroy America's Government." (I'm not a fan of the video format, but this is how a lot of people – especially young people – get their information now.)

More to come on this. I have kept most of my tech writing separate from FrameLab. Unfortunately, these two worlds are merging in 2025, and it is impossible to frame our political crisis without framing the goals of these Silicon Valley extremists.

What can you do? Please share this information with everyone you know.

Further reading:

Understanding the MAGA-Tech Authoritarian Alliance

Hierarchies, Morality, and Shared Beliefs

FrameLabGil Duran

Elon Musk’s DOGE attacks American freedom

Will Americans surrender their constitutional freedom to an unelected corporate dictator?

FrameLabGil Duran

FrameLab Book Club

If you're planning to participate in the FrameLab Book Club meeting this Sunday, February 23 at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern, please RSVP here so we know how many people to expect. We'll send a Zoom link on Sunday morning.

This session will cover chapters 3 and 4 of The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist's Guide to Your Brain and its Politics. Please submit any questions in any of the following ways (we'll pick the best ones and try to answer them. Please keep the questions focused on the chapters, this is not a general Q&A).

1. Leave your question in the comments on this post. (Note: You may need to log in to FrameLab to do this. Go to the FrameLab homepage, click "log in" in the top right corner and follow the instructions.)
2. Email your question to me: gil@theframelab.org. Please put "Book Club Question" in the headline.
3. Enter your question at the bottom of this Google Doc.
4. Post your question on social media.
   1. Dr. Lakoff's Facebook page has an open thread where FrameLab book club members can post questions.
5. If you prefer to send a text or voice message, the FrameLab hotline is 415-475-9644.

It's not too late to join! Buy the The Political Mind at Bookshop or wherever you get your books.