The man behind the curtain

Curtis Yarvin: A Simple Guide to a Dangerous Philosophy

Curtis Yarvin is a former tech worker whose political ideas have become surprisingly influential among billionaires and Silicon Valley leaders. Understanding his philosophy helps explain many recent political developments, including the new National Security Strategy.

What Yarvin Believes

Yarvin's core argument is simple: democracy doesn't work. He claims that letting regular people vote leads to chaos, inefficiency, and bad decisions. He does not think they should have a say in their governance (he's a "neomonarchist"). Instead, he believes countries should be run like corporations - by subjectively smart, competent people who don't need to ask permission from voters.

What He Wants Instead

Yarvin advocates for "neocameralism" - essentially turning countries into corporations. Instead of presidents and congresses, you'd have CEOs and boards of directors. No more elections, no more debates, just dictatorial management by people selected by other people in power.

Why This Matters Now

This philosophy is running rampant with US billionaire elites. This explains several recent developments:

• The systematic dismantling of democratic institutions
• The new National Security Strategy that explicitly rejects democracy promotion
• The labeling of voters as "NPCs" who don't deserve a say
• The treatment of other countries as competitors to be managed rather than partners in shared values

The Appeal to Billionaires

For wealthy people, Yarvin's ideas are attractive because:

• They're frustrated with democratic "inefficiency" and oversight
• They're used to making quick decisions without public input, and getting their way
• They believe their success (however derived from previous generations and privilege) proves they're naturally suited to govern
• Democratic institutions often constrain their business interests

What This Means in Practice

As Yarvin's philosophies become implemented, expect:

• Fewer elections, or elections that don't matter much
• Government run more like a unilateral business than a democracy
• Less input from citizens on major decisions
• Focus on results for the few rather than the many
• International relations based purely on power, transactions, and favors, not shared values

The Bottom Line

Yarvin has convinced many powerful people that democracy is outdated and should be replaced with corporate-style governance. Whether you think this is brilliant or terrifying probably depends on whether you trust billionaires and tech executives to run society without your input.

The key insight is that this isn't just happening by accident - there's an actual philosophy driving these changes, and understanding it helps explain why American politics has shifted so dramatically toward authoritarianism.