The Gray Tribe Is Not In Control
The Gray Tribe isn't running the show. They're not even steering. At best, they're whispering in the Red Tribe's ear. At worst, they're unwittingly advancing policies they oppose. Yet they linger, clinging to the illusion of influence, as though proximity to power were power itself. The next four years are crucial. If they fail to act, the Red Tribe's political agenda—much of which directly conflicts with Gray Tribe values—will dominate. To remain silent is to share the guilt, and in complicity, we forfeit the right to protest, complain, mourn, gripe, object, bitch on X dot com, formerly known as Twitter.
quick caveat - I'm going to use "Gray Tribe" as a catch all term for vaguely libertarian, classical/liberal, e/acc, techno-optimist, free-thinking, tpot, and maybe some pro-tech-nose-pinching-trump-voter groups
Consider where the Red and Gray tribes diverge: The Gray Tribe champions free markets, crypto, lab-grown meat, and the right to work—innovations and principles that accelerate economic growth and technological progress. In contrast, the Red Tribe is beginning to advocate market protectionism, and is aligning with unions that defend fading industries with shrinking job prospects. These stances directly oppose Gray Tribe values, standing as barriers to innovation and economic momentum.
The techno-optimist circles often linked to the effective accelerationism (e/acc) movement illustrate a presumptuous belief: that an alliance with the Red Tribe will automatically help them achieve their goals. Prominent voices, such as "Beff Jezos," have echoed this sentiment on social media, making claims like "Gray tribe in control" and "And thus, an alliance between the Gray and Red tribes was forged." He even speculated "JD Vance as VP. Technology brothers in control." These assertions reveal a confidence that the Red Tribe will somehow champion Gray Tribe values. While Beff is not the sole voice in this movement, his perspective serves as a representative example of a broader and often unexamined assumption within these circles.
In response to a comment about reducing government size—where Brivael (@BrivaelLp) stated, "Tech leaders should advocate for reducing governments and states to the minimum possible size; it should be the goal of the 21st century. States are like companies with 10k plus employees where inefficiency is the norm and politics is the only way to ramp up"—Beff replied, "I think that's what Vance is supposed to be on a long time scale." This exchange underscores a belief that Red tribe leaders will naturally align with techno-libertarian ideals.
But is this confidence warranted? The facts suggest otherwise.
It's clear that the Blue Tribe has been skeptical of certain technological advancements, often favoring heavy regulation that stifles innovation. What’s alarming is that the Red Tribe is beginning to echo these anti-tech sentiments, even before taking power. For example, J.D. Vance has publicly praised Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission chair known for her aggressive stance against big tech—an approach that could weaken American global competitiveness. Likewise, proposals like price caps and interest rate caps on credit cards signal a shift toward anti-market policies that threaten long-term economic stability. Vance blames middle class struggles on free trade, something that has provided an unprecedented economic benefit to all Americans. This trend indicates that without active correction, Gray Tribe interests risk complete marginalization.
A prominent moment highlighting this misalignment came when, Delian (@zebulgar), openly criticized the Red Tribe's policies in Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis. When Florida passed a bill banning lab-grown meat, Delian didn't hold back: "Why the heck is Ron DeSantis passing an anti-tech, anti-science bill? Does he realize how idiotic this looks to the people trying to build Florida into a tech hub?" His frustration heralds an upcoming Gray Tribe disillusionment with Red Tribe policies that hinder technological progress. In response to the applause that he's "fighting the good fight," Delian added, "We must overcome the decels."
Protests like Delian's are essential to challenging the Red Tribe’s growing anti-science, anti-market tendencies. Techno-optimists have mistaken superficial alliances with leaders like Trump and Vance for genuine alignment with their goals. This "camaraderie"—built on little more than shared opposition to Blue Tribe cultural features, risks betraying our commitment to technological acceleration. Our focus should remain on advancing economic growth to enable this acceleration. Now that the immediate Blue Tribe threat has passed, deceleration finds its most powerful political manifestation in the Red Tribe.
The Gray Tribe cannot afford passivity, nor can it degrade itself to mere cheerleaders for the Red Tribe. Instead, it must convert proximity-to-power into actual influence by leveraging its political relevance. The Red Tribe needed the Gray Tribe to win, and they will need to align with Gray Tribe values to sustain that success. Applauding selectively without critique isn’t strategy--it’s surrender. To remain true to its principles, the Gray Tribe must lead, not follow, or it risks becoming indistinguishable from the Red Tribe it claims to influence.
I ask that you share this post amongst your own Gray Tribe communities. If you're unsure where to start, I've listed some accounts I respect and hope this might resonate with. (Adding to this list as people suggest accounts to follow or co-sign on this post.)
Beff Jezos: https://x.com/BasedBeffJezos
Bayes: https://x.com/bayeslord
Roon: https://x.com/tszzl
Eigenrobot: https://x.com/eigenrobot
Xlr8harder: https://x.com/xlr8harder
Tetsuo - e/acc: https://x.com/7etsuo
Delian Asparouhov: https://x.com/zebulgar
Marc Andreessen: https://x.com/pmarca
Atlas: https://x.com/creatine_cycle
Garry Tan: https://x.com/garrytan
Lewis: https://x.com/ctjlewis
Zestular: https://x.com/zestular
Tenobrus: https://x.com/tenobrus
jp: https://x.com/inflammateomnia
Daedalus -- e/acc: https://x.com/BasedDaedalus
Ryan Shea: https://x.com/ryaneshea
TracingWoodgrains: https://x.com/tracewoodgrains
Honorable mention X dot com Posts (go like these):
