ARGUING YES
Anti-Democracy theorist and Tech Entrepreneur
ARGUING NO
Founder of the RadicalxChange Foundation and Plurality Institute
MODERATOR
Host and Moderator-in-Chief
This week:
- New episode: Should the U.S. elect a CEO dictator, or embrace its imperfect but resilient democratic system?
- Your Sunday reading list
What if the United States abandoned its democratic system and instead opted for a CEO-style dictator to run the country like a high-performing company?
One of this week’s debaters, anti-democracy theorist and tech entrepreneur, Curtis Yarvin, is a proponent of the idea, which is said to be gaining traction in influential policy circles in Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Yarvin’s growing political influence was profiled in a New Yorker article in June of 2025, and Elon Musk reportedly consulted him on the formation of a new party in July. A self-described monarchist, Yarvin argues that democracy is too slow and ineffective to meet the challenges of the modern world and deliver efficiency at scale.
But at what cost? His opponent, E. Glen Weyl, Founder of the RadicalxChange Foundation, Plurality Institute, and Microsoft Research’s Plural Technology Collaboratory, counters that consolidating power under one leader undermines the values at the core of America’s political system. History offers cautionary tales of autocratic rulers whose unchecked power led to disastrous decisions and societal breakdowns. How could the country reasonably consider abandoning democratic norms, even if it’s a messy process, on occasion?
We brought these sharply divergent perspectives together for a live debate at Racket, a music venue in New York City on Thursday evening.
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
Photo credits: Sam Lahoz
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Watch Jessica’s debate on the prospects of millennials
Even Democracy Can Be Debatable
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