The Shigalyovist Turn

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I am publishing this anonymously because I still work in the industry, and because the ideas here are not yet safe to attach to a name. Not because they are dangerous—they are not—but because they are, for now, impolite. They describe a reality that many prefer to leave undescribed. In time, I expect these ideas will become commonplace. For now, I would rather let them stand on their own. I A shift has begun in how the most serious people in technology think about building. The shift is quiet for now, but unmistakable. Fyodor Dostoevsky published Demons in 1872. For over a century, it was read as a novel about nineteenth-century Russian radicals. Today, it is being read differently. I'm told copies have been circulating at one of Sand Hill Road's most influential firms since late last year. A senior engineer at a major payments company mentioned it to me unprompted in October. Those who have noticed will have noticed. In Demons, Shigalyov presents a theory. Beginning from unlimited fre

The Shigalyovist Turn The Shigalyovist Turn "Starting from unlimited freedom, I conclude with unlimited despotism. I will add, however, that apart from my solution of the social formula, there can be no other." — Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons (1872) "The problem is desire. We need to want these things. The problem is inertia. We need to want these things more than we want to prevent these things." — Marc Andreessen, "It's Time to Build" (2020) "The division of authority is simply the destruction of order." — Curtis Yarvin, "A Gentle Introduction to Unqualified Reservations" (2009) I am publishing

The Shigalyovist Turn

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