In 2022, one of Peter Thiel’s favorite thinkers envisioned a second Trump Administration in which the federal government would be run by a “CEO” who was not Trump and laid out a playbook for how it might work. Elon Musk is following it.

Read the article about this here

What would be the name of such system?

First some definitions :

  1. Technocratic Authoritarianism

A system where unelected elites or CEOs are placed in charge of government on the grounds of efficiency or managerial competence, often sidelining democratic institutions.

This describes the “CEO of America” model that Thiel/Elon/Yarvin envision.

  1. Caesarism

A term used by political theorists (including Max Weber and Antonio Gramsci) to describe a charismatic leader (Trump) acting as a legitimizing force while real power is concentrated elsewhere.

Useful when the elected leader becomes a symbolic strongman but executive power is wielded by others.

  1. Post-democracy (coined by Colin Crouch)

A state where democratic structures still exist (elections, courts, media), but they are hollowed out — policy is dictated by elites behind closed doors, especially corporate ones.

Accurate for systems where people still vote, but real power is held by a ruling class with no accountability.

  1. Illiberal Plutocracy

A combination of wealth-based power (plutocracy) with a lack of democratic protections or rights (illiberalism).

Good if you want to emphasize Musk/Thiel’s wealth and control over narrative, tech, and infrastructure.

If Elon Musk is following Yarvin’s vision…

You are talking about a regime anti-democratic in structure but still using democratic aesthetics. It could be called:

“Algorithmic Caesarism” — where techno-elites, backed by populist energy and symbolic leaders like Trump, install a “CEO state” run on startup-style authority, private data, and decision-by-dashboard.

TL;DR:

The best term depends on what aspect you want to emphasize:

Oligarchy: if you want to emphasize rule by a few elites.

Technocratic authoritarianism: for the “CEO of America” model.

Caesarism: if Trump is the figurehead and someone else pulls strings.

Post-democracy: for the hollowing out of democratic institutions.

Illiberal plutocracy: for the fusion of tech billionaires and authoritarian logic.