February 4, 2026
From code to coup cosplay
Mouthbreathing Machiavellis Dream of a Silicon Reich (2014)
Commenters roast the “CEO of America” fantasy as nerd revenge cosplay
TLDR: A resurfaced 2014 proposal to make tech run the U.S. (with Eric Schmidt as “CEO of America”) reignited debate. Commenters mostly mock it as insecure tech-authoritarian cosplay, argue governments still wield real power, and trade side-eye over Balaji’s “scrubbed” history—equal parts critique, conspiracy, and memes.
The internet dug up a 2014 piece about a wild White House petition from a Google engineer who wanted to retire all government workers, hand the country to the tech industry, and make Google’s Eric Schmidt “CEO of America.” Cue comment-section fireworks. One top voice says it’s not ideology, it’s insecurity with a side of Dunning–Kruger, calling the movement “adult children” trying to settle old scores. Another thread insists the real gag is power theater: governments still hold the cards, and when they flex, tech billionaires “line up to brown nose.”
Meanwhile, the name-drop that ignites side drama: Balaji Srinivasan. One commenter swears his past has been “memory holed” and timelines scrubbed, fueling whispers of an image makeover. And for anyone keeping score, a link to The Great Unwind gets tossed in like lighter fluid on a bonfire, framing this as part of a bigger unraveling of tech’s political fantasies.
The jokes write themselves: readers mock the plan as LinkedIn Monarchy, imagine a Blade Runner sequel starring CEOs, and joke about “red-pill” cosplay that confuses sci-fi with statecraft. The vibe? A mix of eye-rolls, popcorn, and pitchforks. If this was a bid to make tech kings, the crowd’s verdict is clear: delete your change.org and touch grass.
Key Points
- •In March 2014, Google engineer Justine Tunney submitted a White House petition proposing to retire all U.S. government employees with full pensions, transfer authority to the tech industry, and appoint Eric Schmidt as “CEO of America.”
- •Tunney stated the tech industry could provide good governance and recommended reading Mencius Moldbug to understand her ideological stance.
- •The article profiles the neo-reactionary or “Dark Enlightenment” movement as opposing popular suffrage, egalitarianism, and pluralism, using “redpilled” rhetoric from The Matrix.
- •Mencius Moldbug is identified as Curtis Guy Yarvin, a San Francisco software developer; his background includes leaving a UC Berkeley graduate program, earning money in the dot-com bubble, and contributing to Wired.
- •Yarvin launched the Blogspot blog “Unqualified Reservations” in 2007, employing an archaic style influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien and George Lucas and reportedly spending about $500 per month on books.