There is A LOT here that strikes me as an intricate conspiracy theory fever dream. I’m indeed surprised the Illuminati/Masons/Rothschilds et al didn’t do a drive by here. With that said, there are some here’s-to-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss, what are we not meant to see elements here worth mulling:
Checkmate: The Triumph of Technocracy
How Trump, Elon & the Tech Elite are paving the way for a Brave New World - And what it means for all of us
ERIK WIKSTRÖM
FEB 15, 2025
I invite you to temporarily set aside your preconceptions about how the world works. I know this may run counter to everything you believe, everything you think you know about what's happening in our world. The truth goes much deeper than the surface-level chaos we see in the headlines. I sincerely hope I'm wrong about this analysis – in fact, I pray that I am. But if I'm even partially correct, we are witnessing one of the most sophisticated power grabs in human history.
Introduction
We are living through a historic transition of power: the shift from a corrupt facade democracy to an AI-driven technocracy controlled by Silicon Valley billionaires.
While this unfolds, most observers are – as usual – focused on the wrong signals, missing the larger pattern of what's actually happening. And what's happening isn't isolated to the United States – it's a global agenda that will reshape every aspect of our lives.
What makes this moment unique isn't just the scale of the transformation, but its inevitability. The technological infrastructure required for total control has finally matured. Artificial Intelligence has reached the sophistication necessary for algorithmic governance. The social and political chaos we're experiencing isn't random – it's orchestrated to create the perfect conditions for this transition.
Consider this: Elon Musk alone controls enough wealth to simultaneously fund eight Manhattan Projects, maintain a private army of 100,000 elite mercenaries for a decade, or fund the entire United Nations for 14 years. But this isn't about money – it's about power. The tech elite already have more wealth than they could spend in multiple lifetimes. What they're pursuing is something far more ambitious: total control over society's future development.
The genius of their strategy lies in its complexity. Like a masterfully played chess game, every move serves multiple purposes. What appears as chaos is actually a precisely choreographed sequence of events. What looks like resistance is often part of the plan. Even this analysis, should it reach a wider audience, would likely be dismissed as paranoid speculation – which is exactly what makes the strategy so effective.
I see tremendous potential in the revolution unfolding around us. The promise of AI, the possibility of more efficient and just governance, the dream of liberation – these are all within our reach. But I fear we're being led down a darker path, one that uses these same technologies to establish unprecedented control rather than freedom.
In this analysis, I'll attempt to decode the pattern behind what's happening, reveal the philosophical blueprint guiding these changes, and expose the systematic implementation already underway. The insights come from hundreds of hours studying elite writings, tracking their actions, and mapping the connections between seemingly unrelated events.
What emerges is a picture both fascinating and terrifying: a coordinated effort to fundamentally restructure society, using Trump as a tool, democracy as a stepping stone, and artificial intelligence as the ultimate instrument of control.
The most crucial question isn't whether this transformation is happening – it's whether we can recognize it in time to influence its direction.
Let's begin by examining how we got here, and why this moment in history provides the perfect conditions for what's about to unfold...
Part 1: The Perfect Storm - Setting the Stage
What began with subtle changes in society's foundation has revealed itself as something far more calculated. The growing polarization, the accelerating technological revolution, the institutional breakdowns – none of these were random events. They formed the opening moves in a transformation so ambitious that even describing it risks sounding implausible.
The Blueprint
Three elements converged to create the perfect conditions for change:
First, a strategic erosion of trust. Government agencies making decisions that seemed designed to undermine their own credibility. Media organizations abandoning even the pretence of objectivity in ways that destroyed their authority. Political processes long ago devolved into such obvious theater that they undermine the entire system's legitimacy.
Second, a precise channeling of public frustration. Rather than focusing on specific targets, anger fragmented and turned inward against the society itself. Left and right polarized beyond dialogue. Different social groups found themselves in perpetual conflict. Each attempt at reconciliation or compromise failed in ways that deepened divisions.
Third, the emergence of technology sophisticated enough to enable total control. For the first time in history, the technical capability exists to implement governance through algorithms, monitor populations comprehensively, and automate resource allocation across entire societies.
The Formula
This transformation follows a classic pattern: problem-reaction-solution.
Problem: Create or amplify problems severe enough that the population demands change
Reaction: Wait for the reaction – frustration, anger, calls for reform
Solution: Present solutions that would never be accepted under normal circumstances
The execution of this formula shows remarkable sophistication. Each crisis connects to the next. Every institutional failure creates specific vulnerabilities. Each scandal opens the door for predetermined "solutions."
The Hidden Pattern
What makes this moment unique isn't just these individual elements, but their perfect synchronization. The technological capability has matured exactly as social structures weaken and power concentrates in the hands of those with a specific vision for humanity's future.
Consider how each aspect reinforces the others:
Digital platforms replace traditional information sources just as trust in media collapses
AI systems emerge as alternatives to human judgment right as faith in institutions fails
Private infrastructure displaces public services precisely when government credibility hits historic lows
This isn't coincidence. These changes follow a design so precise that it remained invisible until its effects became almost irreversible. Like a master chess player's strategy, the true pattern only becomes clear when the position is already won.
The Stakes
We're witnessing more than a political realignment or technological revolution. This is a fundamental restructuring of society – a transformation that uses our legitimate frustrations with failing systems to implement something far more controlling.
The true scope of this change remains hidden because its architects speak in the language of progress, efficiency, and innovation. They present each step as a natural evolution rather than what it is: a calculated move toward a new form of social organization.
To understand how this transformation operates in practice, we need to examine its most visible manifestation: the carefully orchestrated performance centered around Donald Trump...
Part 2: The Game in Action - Trump's Role Revealed
In this atmosphere of systemic collapse, the perfect outsider emerged. A figure so improbable, so controversial, so seemingly chaotic that no one could suspect his role was precisely choreographed. Donald Trump appeared as the antithesis to the system people had lost faith in – the ultimate anti-establishment rebel.
But this was no accident. It was the next act in a brilliantly executed performance.
The Perfect Pawn
A chess master wins not through individual moves, but by creating positions where every opponent's move strengthens their strategy. This perfectly describes the Trump phenomenon: each attempt to stop him made him stronger, every attack increased his immunity, all resistance cemented his position.
The pattern was too perfect to be coincidental:
Media attacked him relentlessly, but always in ways that confirmed his "fake news" narrative
Federal investigations launched with great fanfare, only to end in anticlimaxes that strengthened his position
"Leaks" emerged with peculiar timing, always maximizing their effect – not against Trump, but for his agenda
It was like watching a boxing match where every punch from the opponent somehow builds the champion's strength rather than depleting it.
Just take his opponent in the presidential race as the ultimate example of the theatrical shitshow – there stood the establishment's champion, demonstrating in real-time why the system needed disruption:
An aging politician struggling with basic articulation and climbing stairs
The establishment's representative barely able to represent himself
The system's defender personifying its decay
The Legal Masterpiece
The true brilliance emerged in the legal arena. What appeared to the public as desperate attempts to stop Trump revealed themselves as essential components of the plan.
On the surface, each prosecution strengthened his martyrdom. Every investigation, every case, every "attack" confirmed the narrative of "the system versus Trump." His supporters saw persecution, his opponents saw danger – both reactions served the plan's purpose.
But beneath this obvious theater lay something far more strategic. These prosecutions systematically created the legal framework needed for what's to come. Court decisions about presidential immunity during office, presented as efforts to ensure Trump could face justice, instead built the perfect legal shield for future action. Before these cases, a president's immunity was unclear – afterward, it became nearly absolute.
Most crucial were the specific precedents established. The courts granted extraordinary powers to sitting presidents while appearing to close in on Trump. Combined with the pardon power, this creates a perfect shield: a president can act without legal constraint while in office, and can simply pardon any allies who carry out their agenda.
What the public saw as the justice system pursuing Trump was actually the systematic creation of legal immunity for the coming transformation. Both sides of the establishment – those appearing to prosecute and those appearing to defend – played their roles in constructing this framework. The true game operated at a level above these apparent conflicts.
The Ultimate Dramatization
Each element of resistance played its role perfectly:
His establishment opposition demonstrated exactly why the system needed a complete reset
Media criticism proved their bias and untrustworthiness
Congressional challenges showed the ineffectiveness of traditional checks and balances
The culmination came with the alleged assassination attempt – an event so perfectly timed, so dramatically staged that it transformed Trump from a political figure into something almost messianic. The timing within the campaign cycle, the spectacle of the event, the "miraculous" survival – all contributed to creating the ultimate justification for what was to come.
This was the moment when Trump transcended ordinary politics. He was no longer just a candidate – he was the chosen one, the survivor, the man "they" had tried to silence but failed. Every future "countermeasure," no matter how extreme, could now be justified as necessary self-defense.
The Larger Game
But while the world focused on this political drama – this seemingly epic battle between establishment and outsider – the real game proceeded behind the scenes. Trump was never meant to be the true rebel who would crush the system. He was the perfect tool for implementing a new, more sophisticated form of control.
Like a masterful illusion, the audience focused so intently on the obvious conflict that they missed the real transformation occurring backstage. While everyone watched Trump versus the "deep state," in the shadows, the real players methodically positioned themselves to assume control of society's fundamental functions.
A new power elite, with a vision far beyond traditional politics, prepared to step onto the stage when the old order imploded under the weight of its own apparent incompetence.
To understand the true nature of this transformation, we must examine the philosophical blueprint guiding it – a vision first articulated by Silicon Valley's hidden philosopher...
Part 3: The Real Players - Silicon Valley's Dark Vision
Behind the money and influence flowing into the Trump campaign lies a set of radical beliefs and a dark agenda. The tech elite of Silicon Valley believe the American empire stands on the verge of collapse. Rather than prevent this collapse, they aim to accelerate it while creating safe landing zones for themselves and their assets – territories where they can run their own governments.
Elon Musk and his growing empire represented the visible spearhead of this movement. Through his control over everything from space travel to social communication, he was systematically building the infrastructure required for the new order. But Peter Thiel, JD Vance, Balaji Srinivasan, Marc Andreessen, and other “tech-bros” would also play key roles, which I will delve into later.
Yet, these tech billionaires were only the visible actors. Behind them lay a vision so radical that it initially seemed unthinkable—a vision shaped by Silicon Valley’s secret philosopher.
The Hidden Philosopher
Under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug, a San Francisco programmer named Curtis Yarvin wrote a series of essays that would transform Silicon Valley's worldview. His concept, which he calls Patchwork, envisions a world where the failed democratic system is replaced by thousands of corporate-run territories, each governed by its own joint-stock company without regard for residents' opinions.
In Yarvin's vision:
Nations dissolve into corporate-run territories
Democracy yields to CEO-dictators
Citizens become customers
Rights become services
Governance becomes algorithmic
His early writings were shockingly direct about the implications. When discussing "surplus" populations, he proposed either "using them as biodiesel" or containment in virtual reality prisons. While he later claimed the biodiesel comment was a joke, he remained serious about the digital prisons.
The Network State: A New Package
When Balaji Srinivasan presented his concept of "Network States," he performed a masterful repackaging of Yarvin's ideas. The dark vision of corporate dictatorships transformed into something that could be presented at TED talks:
"Corporate dictatorship" became "startup society"
"Total surveillance" became "digital community"
"Forced compliance" became "opt-in governance"
“Social control” became “community standards”
The Tech Elite's Real Vision
These aren't mere theoretical discussions. Peter Thiel, beyond his company Palantir, invested $15 million in JD Vance's Senate campaign – the largest single donation to a Senate campaign in history. Elon Musk took control of global communications through Twitter/X. Marc Andreessen and others are actively funding "experimental cities."
The tech elite justify their position by seeing themselves as courageous geniuses on the new frontier. This isn't speculation – they say it openly in podcasts, conferences, interviews, and blog posts. Some speak quietly, others loudly, but they share a common vision:
Replace democratic governance with corporate rule
Substitute human judgment with AI systems
Create territories beyond traditional state control
Implement total surveillance under the guise of security
From Theory to Reality
The implementation is already underway:
Trumps "Freedom Cities" on federal land
Charter cities in Honduras
Network State experiments in various countries
Digital currency initiatives
AI governance systems
Each project serves as a prototype for their larger vision. When Trump speaks of building new freedom cities on federal land, he's describing Yarvin's patches in new packaging. When tech billionaires invest in "charter cities," they're creating test beds for corporate governance.
The Perfect Appeal
What makes this transformation so effective is how it appeals to different groups:
Progressives see potential for post-national organization
Libertarians embrace promises of freedom from state control
Conservatives welcome a return to traditional values in modern form
Tech enthusiasts celebrate disruption of old systems (not to mention the transhumanist agenda)
Each group projects their hopes onto the concept while missing the underlying agenda of total corporate control.
The AI Component
Artificial Intelligence isn't just another technology in this vision – it's the key enabler. AI provides:
The means to replace human judgment
Tools for total surveillance
Systems for resource allocation
Justification for eliminating democratic input
When tech leaders discuss AI safety and control, they're laying groundwork for a new form of social organization.
To understand how this vision translates into action, we must examine its current implementation through what Yarvin called RAGE...
Part 4: The Implementation - RAGE
The tech elite's vision isn't merely theoretical – it's being actively implemented through a coordinated strategy. At its center stands a concept Curtis Yarvin calls RAGE – "Retire All Government Employees." (Does it ring a bell yet?) While it sounds like a catchy slogan for administrative reform, it masks a detailed plan to methodically dismantle the entire state apparatus.
RAGE: The Blueprint
The strategy is devastatingly simple:
Identify experienced civil servants who maintain democratic processes and can say "no" to illegal orders
Create impossible working conditions through constant reorganizations and conflicting directives
Replace departing personnel with a combination of, mostly young, ideological loyalists and automated systems
When seasoned officials leave, they take with them the institutional memory of how democratic processes should function, the ability to identify and stop illegal actions, and the systems of checks and balances that protect against abuse of power.
DOGE: The Implementation
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) serves as the vehicle for this transformation. Under Elon Musk's direction, what's presented as modernization reveals itself as RAGE in action:
Mass layoffs labeled as "efficiency measures"
Elimination of oversight described as "streamlining"
Transfer of state functions to tech companies called "modernization"
Replacement of human judgment with AI branded as "optimization"
As Yarvin himself expressed it: "To install a new operating system, you must first shut down the old one. RAGE is ctrl-alt-delete for the state."
The Strategic Network
Tech elites have methodically positioned key players in critical roles. Like pieces on a chess board, each serves a specific function in the larger strategy:
Elon Musk, through DOGE, directs the dismantling of state functions while positioning his companies to replace them:
Starlink for internet control
X/Twitter which will become an “everything app” for informational and financial control
xAI for decision systems
Tesla and SpaceX for physical infrastructure
Peter Thiel operates more subtly through Palantir and his network of allies, building the surveillance and control infrastructure that the new order will require. His influence extends from national security to financial systems. (I’ll talk more about Palantir later)
JD Vance represents a particularly sophisticated placement. With his strong connection to Peter Thiel, working-class background and Yale education, he moves seamlessly between worlds. When he speaks of "reforming bureaucracy," he uses language that sounds harmless to most but signals a darker agenda to initiates.
The Accelerated Timeline
Unlike traditional authoritarian transformations that moved slowly to avoid resistance, this operation shows no such caution. The sprint toward the goal suggests either:
Complete confidence in success
A race against time (control of AI)
Strong contingency plans
While media focuses on political drama, the real transformation proceeds:
State functions transfer to private control
Democratic processes yield to automation
New control systems install piece by piece
The Perfect Defense
Each resistance reinforces the plan:
Criticism of tech companies justifies more "neutral" AI governance
Concerns about democracy validate "efficiency" measures
Protests against surveillance legitimize stronger control systems
As Yarvin predicted: "The perfect revolution looks like inevitable technological progress."
The Network Effect
Each implemented change creates dependencies that make reversal increasingly difficult:
Digital payment systems replace traditional banking (i will dive deep into Bitcoins role in this in a future article)
Corporate platforms supersede government communications
Private infrastructure displaces public services
AI systems become essential for basic functions
By the time the transformation becomes obvious, the new system will be too deeply embedded to easily dislodge.
To understand where this leads, we must examine the new world order being constructed...
Part 5: The New World Order - The Emerging Reality
Once the state apparatus has been dismantled through RAGE/DOGE and control centralized through tech companies, what comes next? The tech elite's vision for the future is both more concrete and more alarming than most realize – a system where human value reduces to pure economic utility, and the very concept of citizenship transforms fundamentally.
Welcome to the Nerd Reich.
The Corporate State
In this new order, a nation is nothing more than a company. There are no citizens – only customers and shareholders. No constitution – only corporate rules. No rights – only services that can be purchased or earned through "value creation" for the system.
As a "citizen" in this corporate state, you're effectively a customer buying social services. But unlike a normal market, you have no choice – each "territorial patch" is a monopoly. Your only path to influence is buying shares in the territory, giving you power proportional to your capital. It's plutocracy in its purest form.
The New Geography
Society divides into clearly defined zones, each with its specific purpose:
The Privileged Zones
These form the corporate states' core territories. Here, total surveillance masks as "safety and security" – there are no crimes here - because every movement is tracked, every communication analyzed, every transaction monitored. Biometric scanning becomes as basic as electricity. Your access to resources depends on AI systems constantly evaluating your "value" to the system. One misstep can lead to immediate status downgrade.
The Excluded Zones
Areas where the system's "surplus" population gets relegated. Here, there's no access to modern technology, no digital payment systems, no path to build a future. These places are designed to be uncomfortable enough that residents either motivate themselves to become "valuable" to the system or simply disappear from its radar.
The Digital Prison Zone
Perhaps the darkest aspect of this new order. For those deemed problematic, a "humane" solution emerges – permanent storage in virtual worlds. Here, "surplus" humans can exist without burdening system resources, while their consciousness trains AI systems.
The Brutal Revaluation
Most shocking about this new order is how it cuts through today's established social classes. A well-paid lawyer whose expertise AI replaces, a successful businessman whose activities don't contribute to technological development, a respected academic whose research generates no measurable value – all might suddenly find themselves classified as "surplus."
In this world, there's no middle ground. You're either a valuable resource for the system or a burden to be managed. Your status depends not on traditional merit or wealth, but on your direct utility to the technocratic system.
The AI Layer
What makes our time unique is not just the ambitions of the tech elite—it’s the fact that technology has finally reached a level where total control is technically feasible. AI is no longer just a tool for efficiency—it is the perfect instrument for implementing Yarvin’s vision of algorithmic governance.
The infrastructure is already being built, piece by piece:
Elon Musk’s corporate empire forms the backbone of this system. Starlink provides control over the internet, X/Twitter over information and communication, xAI develops the algorithms that will dictate decision-making, while Tesla and SpaceX control critical physical infrastructure. Each component is designed to integrate seamlessly with the others.
At the same time, Peter Thiel, through Palantir, is constructing the world’s most sophisticated surveillance system. What began as a tool for counterterrorism has evolved into a comprehensive mechanism for population control, already deployed by governments worldwide. With this, we already have a system capable of:
Predicting and preventing undesirable behavior before it happens
Identifying and neutralizing potential opposition
Automatically adjusting resource allocation based on "social merit"
Implementing total control without visible coercion
The genius lies in how this is framed as "objective" and "efficient" governance. When an AI denies you access to resources or opportunities, it’s not "oppression"—it’s just "optimization." When the system restricts your movement, it’s not "control"—it’s "smart resource management."
But beneath the surface, these systems are built on values and objectives programmed by the tech elite.
As Yarvin put it: "Code is law, and he who controls the code, controls the law."
The promised efficiency masks the elimination of human agency and democratic input.
(I will talk more about the emergence of AGI - Artificial General Intelligence - and ASI - Artificial Super Intelligence - that it’s closer than we think and its implications in another article. )
The Irreversible Integration
What makes this transformation permanent is how deeply it embeds in society's basic functions:
Essential services require digital ID
Resources allocate through AI systems
Communication depends on corporate platforms
Basic survival needs corporate system access
By the time the transformation becomes obvious, the infrastructure will be too fundamental to remove – like trying to remove electricity from modern society, technically possible but practically impossible.
As Yarvin wrote: "When the new operating system is installed, there's no going back – exactly as it should be."
To understand our options, if any remain, we must examine the false choice being presented and the narrow window for influence that still exists...
Part 6: The False Choice and Real Hope
We face something humanity has never encountered before – a concentration of power that lacks historical precedent. The AI revolution and digital infrastructure's total penetration create possibilities for control that previous generations' dictators could only dream of. The question isn't whether this power will exist, but who will control it and to what end.
Beyond the False Dichotomy
The most treacherous aspect of our situation is how it's presented as a choice between two alternatives. On one side stands a corrupt establishment slowly creeping toward total control. On the other, tech elite "innovative" solutions sprinting toward exactly the same goal. This is the ultimate deception – making us believe we must choose between different paths to our own subjugation.
The old system is genuinely corrupt and dysfunctional. This corruption is real and creates legitimate yearning for change. But the tech elite's "solutions" are designed to exploit this yearning, implementing something far worse under the guise of modernization, innovation, and efficiency.
The Brutal Truth
The path forward isn't simple. What makes this moment particularly challenging is that both sides serve the same agenda. Every "choice" within the system is rigged. The tech elite aren't our saviors – they're next-generation oppressors, more sophisticated and therefore more dangerous than anything we've seen before.
We must reject this rigged game where every "choice" leads to the same result. This means refusing both the establishment's corruption and the tech elite's false solutions. It means actively seeking and supporting genuine alternatives that preserve human dignity and freedom.
Real Potential vs Current Reality
I see tremendous potential in the technological revolution unfolding around us:
AI could aid human intelligence rather than replace human agency
Digital systems could enhance democracy rather than eliminate it
Technology could liberate rather than control
Innovation could serve humanity rather than subjugate it
The tragedy is that we're being led down a darker path, one that uses these same technologies to establish unprecedented control rather than liberation. Every reform presented will package itself as modernization and freedom, while moving us closer to tech elite's vision.
The Narrow Window
Technology will continue advancing. AI will grow more powerful. Digital infrastructure will penetrate every aspect of our lives. This is inevitable. But who controls these systems, and in whose interest they operate – that remains open for influence.
We have a very brief window where we can still affect the outcome. Once the systems are in place, once the digital infrastructure is cemented, once AI control becomes total – there's no obvious way back.
The Path Forward
We need development that harnesses technology's possibilities without surrendering control to an elite that has shown zero interest in humanity's common good. We need modernization that doesn't eliminate our freedom, efficiency that doesn't require total surveillance.
This might sound impossible. With the concentration of power and technology the tech elite has already built, it may seem like the game is over. But passive acceptance of our transformation into digital serfs in an AI-driven plutocracy isn't an option.
The Real Challenge
This isn't a battle we chose. But in this new world of technological dominance, only two outcomes exist: either we control technology, or it controls us. The window for influence is closing rapidly, but it hasn't shut completely.
I hope deeply that this analysis is wrong. That the pattern I see is an overreaction, an exaggerated interpretation of coincidences. Because if it's right, we're witnessing the most sophisticated coup in human history – one that uses our desire for change to eliminate the very possibility of freedom.
Yet even within this dark analysis, I see potential for optimism. The same technologies being used to build control systems could be redirected toward liberation. The energy for change could be channeled toward genuine reform rather than disguised oppression.
The question isn't whether to embrace technological progress – it's how to ensure this progress serves humanity rather than subjugates it. We still have a chance to influence this direction, but that chance diminishes with each passing day.
This is not a battle between right and left, between establishment and outsiders, or even between democracy and authoritarianism. This is a battle over the very definition of human freedom in the technological era.
The time to influence this definition is rapidly running out.
Do you see it too? Or am I missing something? Have I completely misjudged the situation? Am I just being paranoid?
Maybe we are on the verge of breaking free from the hidden oppression that has kept humanity in economic chains and confusion, moving toward a new, freer technological Eutopia—I’m sure that vision is within reach. But unfortunately, I don’t believe that’s where we, as a global population, are being led right now.
What do you think?
https://erikwikstrom.substack.com/p/checkmate-the-triumph-of-technocracy
