"The brain" is this is a coup? A deep-dive.

Donald Trump would not rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland. Praxis?

In the opaque world where technology, finance, and politics converge, a powerful and often controversial network of individuals is shaping the future. From the "PayPal Mafia" to ambitious city-building projects and the corridors of political power, these figures are driven by a mix of libertarian ideals, techno-optimism, and a desire to radically redefine societal structures. This deep-dive expands on the key players, their surprising connections, and the ideologies underpinning their influence, integrating new insights into their political machinations, specific institutional impacts, and the profound philosophical underpinnings of their vision.

The PayPal Mafia: A Genesis of Influence and Beyond

At the heart of this intricate web lies the "PayPal Mafia," a term coined to describe the cohort of former PayPal employees and founders who, after the company's acquisition by eBay, went on to establish or significantly influence some of the most impactful tech companies in Silicon Valley. This group's impact has extended far beyond the tech industry, spilling into finance, media, and increasingly, politics. Key members include:

• Peter Thiel: Often considered the "don" of the PayPal Mafia, Thiel co-founded PayPal and later Palantir Technologies, a data analytics firm with significant ties to government intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI. He was an early investor in Facebook and is a prominent venture capitalist through Founders Fund. Thiel is a staunch libertarian, articulating his vision for an escape from politics and the conventional democratic system, even suggesting that the "extension of the franchise to women" and "vast increase in welfare beneficiaries" have hindered libertarian goals. His influence extends to political patronage, being a major donor and economic advisor to Donald Trump, and advocating for a future where tech titans steer the world without traditional governmental constraints. Thiel famously financed Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media, a move seen as retribution after Gawker outed him as gay. His acquisition of New Zealand citizenship, despite minimal residency, underscores a perceived desire for "boltholes" and a global outlook that transcends traditional nation-states.

• Elon Musk: Co-founder of X.com (which merged with Confinity to form PayPal), Musk's ventures span SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and the acquisition of Twitter (rebranded as X). Like Thiel, Musk embodies a techno-libertarian ethos. Notably, both Thiel and Musk are positioned as advisors on the "Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)" In the Trump administration, indicating a shared goal of radical governmental restructuring. Musk has publicly criticized George Soros, reflecting a broader ideological divide.

• Reid Hoffman: A former executive vice president at PayPal, Hoffman went on to co-found LinkedIn and was an early investor in Facebook. He represents a more mainstream Silicon Valley figure, though his connections to the PayPal Mafia highlight the group's pervasive influence.

• Other key members include Max Levchin (Affirm), Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons (Yelp), Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim (YouTube), and David O. Sacks (Geni.com, Yammer, and now a "crypto czar" for Trump).

Marc Andreessen: The Techno-Optimist and Political Chameleon

While not officially part of the original PayPal Mafia, Marc Andreessen stands as a parallel figure of immense influence in Silicon Valley, deeply intertwined with many of the same ideological currents and political maneuvering. As a co-founder of Netscape and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, he has shaped the internet and investment landscape significantly.

Andreessen's political engagements reveal a striking adaptability. In 2016, he switched his endorsement from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton, citing concerns over Trump's immigration stance. However, by July 2024, Andreessen announced he would donate to Super PACs supporting Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, driven by fears of higher taxes on billionaires and stricter regulations on industries he heavily invests in, particularly cryptocurrency and AI. He is a mega-donor to Fairshake, a pro-cryptocurrency advocacy group, and has voiced concerns about cryptocurrency users being "debanked".

His influence extends beyond direct political donations. While not officially part of Elon Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)," Andreessen has been cited as "a key networker for talent recruitment" at the agency, signaling his instrumental role in shaping the personnel and direction of a future administration.

Furthermore, Andreessen has faced scrutiny for his conduct as an "independent board member." In April 2016, Facebook shareholders filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that Andreessen secretly coached Mark Zuckerberg through a process to win board approval for a new class of non-voting shares, effectively undermining the very stockholders he was supposed to represent. This incident highlights the complex ethical terrain at the intersection of corporate governance and personal influence. Andreessen is also a prominent voice behind the "Techno-Optimist Manifesto," a philosophy that aligns with the broader group's belief in technology as the ultimate solution to societal problems, often pushing for unchecked innovation.

Curtis Yarvin: The Architect of Neoreaction and the "Cathedral"

At the intellectual core of some of the most radical ideas circulating within the "techno-right" stands Curtis Yarvin, also known by his pseudonym Mencius Moldbug. Considered "the brain" by some, Yarvin is a computer scientist and blogger who has formulated a comprehensive critique of modern liberal democracy and proposed alternative forms of governance. His ideas are foundational to the "Dark Enlightenment" or "neoreactionary" (NRx) movement.

Yarvin's core concepts include:

• The Cathedral: Yarvin posits that Western society is subtly controlled by a powerful, decentralized, and synchronized network of mainstream institutions—primarily the elite press, bureaucracy, and universities. This "Cathedral" acts as an "established church" that dictates and enforces progressive values and suppresses dissenting thought, creating a "Matrix-like totalitarian system".

• Neoreaction (NRx) / Dark Enlightenment: This movement, heavily influenced by Yarvin, rejects modernity, democracy, and equality. It advocates for radical, non-democratic solutions to societal problems, including forms of "neocameralism," propertarianism, and anarcho-capitalism.

• Formalism: Yarvin's concept of aligning property rights with political power, suggesting that the current system is an informal, rather than formal, recognition of power dynamics.

• Patchwork: This is Yarvin's vision for a future political system. He proposes a world composed of numerous independent, sovereign "city-states" or "joint-stock corporations." In these entities, "shareholders" (large owners) would elect an executive (a "CEO-monarch") with absolute power. This executive would rule efficiently, unencumbered by democratic procedures, much like a corporation. Yarvin admires figures like Deng Xiaoping and the city-state of Singapore as examples of successful authoritarian regimes.

• "Hard Reset" / "Rebooting" / "Butterfly Revolution": Rather than gradual political reforms, Yarvin advocates for a complete overhaul or "hard reset" of society. He fantasizes about converting a political operation, such as Trump's, into a "truly effective machine for both taking and using power," culminating in a "full reboot of the USG" (US government). This "Butterfly Revolution" envisions "giving absolute sovereignty to a single organization" with the power to "refound a nation," akin to the Allied occupation authorities in post-WWII Japan and Germany.

Yarvin's influence extends deeply into the tech world and conservative political circles:

• Peter Thiel: Thiel is known to have read and been influenced by Yarvin's writings. This intellectual alignment suggests a shared skepticism of traditional democratic institutions and an openness to radical governance models.

• Marc Andreessen & J.D. Vance: Both Marc Andreessen and J.D. Vance are identified as figures who embrace Yarvin's ideas for replacing democratic governance with a "sovereign CEO or monarch". This indicates how Yarvin's abstract philosophical concepts find traction among influential tech and political figures seeking alternatives to the status quo.

• Project 2025: Yarvin's "hard reset" ideas, particularly the notion of empowering a singular executive and replacing government employees with loyalists, bear a striking resemblance to the aims of Project 2025, which seeks a radical re-engineering of the federal government in the Trump administration.

• American Techno-Right: Yarvin's philosophy is a key component of the broader "American Techno-Right," which combines a belief in technological progress with a critique of existing social and political orders, often drawing from concepts like "archeofuturism".

Political Alignments and Ideological Currents: Shifting Sands of Power

The connections within this network often extend into the political arena, revealing a convergence of powerful financial interests with specific ideological agendas.

• Thiel and Trump: Thiel's financial and advisory support for Donald Trump is a significant facet of his political engagement. His philosophical writings, like "The Education of a Libertarian," articulate a deep skepticism of democratic governance and a preference for technological solutions unburdened by political oversight. This aligns with some of the more radical proposals discussed within conservative circles, such as Project 2025.

• Scott Bessent: From Soros's Protégé to Trump's Pick: Scott Bessent's trajectory is perhaps one of the most striking examples of the fluid nature of these elite financial networks. As a former partner at George Soros's Soros Fund Management, Bessent played a leading role in the group that famously profited by $1 billion on "Black Wednesday," the 1992 British Pound sterling crisis. This event saw George Soros earn the moniker "the Man Who Broke the Bank of England" by orchestrating a massive short against the pound, forcing Britain to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). Bessent's proficiency in such high-stakes financial maneuvers was honed under Soros.

  Yet, Bessent has transitioned to become a key economic advisor and a potential Treasury Secretary nominee for Donald Trump, a figure who often positions himself in stark opposition to George Soros and his perceived "left-wing" influence. Bessent's economic philosophy, reportedly drawing inspiration from Japan's "Abenomics", includes advocating for deregulation, higher GDP growth, and a focus on domestic energy production. He supports tariffs, opposes raising the federal minimum wage, and is notably pro-crypto while opposing a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC). This remarkable pivot from a Soros associate to a potential high-ranking official in a Trump administration vividly illustrates the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of these elite networks, where financial acumen can transcend traditional political divides. Furthermore, there are indications that in a future Trump administration, Scott Bessent might also hold an "acting director" role at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB is a federal agency established to protect consumers in the financial marketplace by providing educational materials, accepting complaints, supervising banks, lenders, and large non-bank entities, and working to make financial disclosures clearer. If Bessent were to assume such a role, it would place a figure with deep ties to speculative finance at the helm of a consumer protection agency.

• Project 2025 / The Heritage Foundation: This initiative, driven by The Heritage Foundation and former Trump administration officials, aims to fundamentally reshape the executive branch to align with conservative ideals. It proposes widespread policy changes impacting civil rights, immigration, and governmental structure, reflecting a desire for a more authoritarian, centralized, and ideologically aligned federal government. As noted, Yarvin's "hard reset" and "CEO-monarch" concepts resonate with the drastic changes envisioned by Project 2025, suggesting a shared desire for a swift, top-down transformation of governance.

• George Soros vs. Elon Musk: The public spat between Elon Musk and George Soros over the Presidential Medal of Freedom underscores a broader ideological conflict between a progressive philanthropist (Soros) and a figure increasingly aligned with right-wing political movements (Musk). This tension reflects the polarized political landscape in which these influential figures operate.

• Kamala Harris and Uber: The links touch upon Kamala Harris's connection to Uber through her brother-in-law, Tony West, who is Uber's Chief Legal Officer. While not explicitly detailing direct political influence on her part concerning Uber's labor practices, it points to the close ties between political figures and major tech companies. PayPal also made a significant investment in Uber's IPO.

Designing New Realities: Seasteading, Praxis, and California Forever

Beyond traditional political engagement, some individuals in this network are actively pursuing projects that aim to create entirely new forms of governance and living, pushing the boundaries of traditional nation-states and urban development.

• Seasteading: The Seasteading Institute, an organization advocating for autonomous, floating cities in international waters, has attracted interest from figures like Peter Thiel, who provided initial funding. This concept embodies a libertarian desire to escape existing governmental regulations and experiment with new social and economic models.

• Praxis: This initiative, co-founded by Dryden Brown and Charlie Callinan, envisions an "internet-native nation" and aims to build a new city, initially in the Mediterranean and later exploring Greenland. Praxis has attracted investors, including Peter Thiel's Pronomos Capital, and shares the utopian (or dystopian, depending on perspective) vision of creating new societies free from perceived societal decay and governmental overreach.

• California Forever: This secretive land acquisition project in Solano County, California, led by Jan Sramek through Flannery Associates, aims to build a new city for up to 400,000 people. Backed by Silicon Valley elites (with Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen among the implied or confirmed investors via their funds), the project faces significant local opposition and concerns about its impact on existing communities and national security due to its proximity to Travis Air Force Base. It represents another audacious attempt by wealthy tech figures to exert influence on urban development and governance from the ground up, pushing the limits of what constitutes a "new future."

The Overarching Narrative: Control, Disruption, and the Future of Society

The common thread weaving through these diverse individuals and their ventures is a profound belief in disruption and a desire for control over societal evolution. Whether through technological innovation, financial maneuvers, political influence, or the creation of new physical and digital spaces, they seek to bypass or fundamentally alter existing systems.

The "PayPal Mafia" paradigm, with its emphasis on creating new ventures and disrupting established industries, has expanded beyond technology into governance and social engineering. Figures like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Marc Andreessen, bolstered by the intellectual frameworks provided by thinkers like Curtis Yarvin, are not merely observers but active architects of a future they envision. This future, however, is fraught with ethical questions, challenges to democratic norms, and the potential for a concentrated power elite to shape society in its own image. The interplay between these interconnected figures represents a crucial narrative of our time, one that demands continuous scrutiny and analysis as their ambitions increasingly merge with the machinery of power.

//Peace