Memo: 'Capture of U.S. Critical Infrastructure by Neoreactionaries'

Memo details how Elon Musk has orchestrated a stunning takeover of the U.S. government

Gil Duran

10 Feb 2025 — 5 min read

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On February 5, a group of anonymous researchers published a memo that reads like a techno-political thriller—except every word is real. The document, "Capture of U.S. Critical Infrastructure by Neoreactionaries," details how Elon Musk—the wealthiest person alive and a man who once declared, "Government is the ultimate corporation"—has orchestrated a stunning takeover of federal power.

The details will sound familiar to longtime readers of this newsletter. I have no idea who wrote the memo, and I am incredibly hesitant to share anything when I don't know its provenance. But as someone who has covered this subject in-depth, I can say that someone has made a terrific effort to explain the situation very clearly, methodically, professionally, and thoroughly (with footnotes, even). It covers most of what I wrote in my Network State series for the New Republic but adds critical analysis of what's now taking place inside our government.

I encourage you to read the full memo yourself, which investigative journalist and researcher Dave Troy posted. Click here to read "Capture of U.S. Critical Infrastructure by Neoreactionaries."

A summary

Under the guise of streamlining bureaucracy through DOGE, Musk has installed loyalists throughout federal agencies, taking over everything from Personnel Management to sensitive Treasury payment systems. His young and unvetted recruits now hold high-level access to government infrastructure while career civil servants find themselves locked out of their own systems.

Most alarming is how this transformation mirrors the explicit goals of Silicon Valley's "neo-reactionary" movement—a group of tech elites who dream of replacing democracy with corporate-style rule. They haven't dismantled the deep state–they've privatized it. The memo raises concerns about how Musk's all-powerful government role will benefit his artificial intelligence, crypto, and other business interests. The memo warns that Congress must act before it's too late.

From the memo:

We are now witnessing a systematic effort to consolidate control over U.S. government communication infrastructure and digital platforms—not by the Trump administration, but by a single network of ideologically driven actors, with Elon Musk at its center. What began as an effort to streamline bureaucracy has morphed into a private power grab, with Musk capturing critical infrastructure to operate beyond traditional oversight. This mirrors an authoritarian model—not merely reducing government, but reconfiguring it into a privatized regime where Musk dictates the flow of information, controls political narratives, and wields unchecked influence over the machinery of the state. If this continues unchecked, President Trump will no longer be steering government policy—Musk will.

Sound familiar?

Here are some key takeaways:

Elon Musk has gained unprecedented control over federal infrastructure through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), not by dismantling bureaucracy but by replacing it with his own network of private control.
Musk-aligned operatives have seized control of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), purging career civil servants and gaining access to sensitive employee records, including Social Security numbers and security clearances.
DOGE has deployed unvetted young hires (many under age 25) who now control sensitive government functions without proper security clearances, including individuals drawn from Musk's companies and Silicon Valley's neoreactionary (NRx) network.
DOGE has gained direct read-write access to Treasury payment systems, which process over $6 trillion annually in transactions including Social Security payments, military salaries, and federal grants.
The forced resignation of career Treasury official David Lebryk highlights how Musk's allies can now make undetected changes to federal financial systems without formal authorization.
The congressionally mandated TikTok divestment has been delayed, with Chinese officials privately discussing Musk as a potential buyer—which would give him control over both X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, the largest platforms shaping political discourse.
Musk's actions align with the neoreactionary (NRx) movement's goals of replacing democracy with corporate-style rule under a "CEO Monarch," as advocated by influential figures like Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel's "house philosopher."
Many DOGE recruits come from Musk's network of companies and programs like the Thiel Fellowship, suggesting a coordinated effort to place ideologically aligned young people in positions of government power.
Musk's involvement creates significant conflicts of interest. He maintains control of companies (SpaceX, Tesla, X, xAI), some of which have major government contracts, while simultaneously influencing federal policy and infrastructure.
The memo warns that President Trump himself may now be hostage to Musk's demands, as this consolidation of power shifts control over critical U.S. infrastructure away from accountable governance and into the hands of a single private actor.

There's an extended explanation of the Network State movement, with familiar names like Balaji Srinivasan, Marc Andreessen, Curtis Yarvin, David Sacks, etc. Please read the whole thing yourself, click the links, read the background sources, and decide for yourself.

What can you do?

Forward the memo to everyone you know, especially elected officials. We need members of Congress and other elected officials to start talking about these issues so that the media will have no choice but to cover them.

The American people are hearing a very superficial narrative of what's happening right now because those with power and influence are too afraid to say the truth, or else those influential and powerful people are simply not paying attention. (I can understand why the authors of the memo might wish to protect their identities, but we need credible and well-known people to start talking about this before it's too late.)

We need all hands on deck to raise public awareness and create an energetic mass public movement to stop this thing in its tracks. These people are mere mortals, and they can be defeated, but not if the public remains in the dark about the nature of this attack.