Inside e/acc, the new religion in Silicon Valley.

There is an emerging movement in Silicon Valley called "effective accelerationism" or "e/acc". Some think it’s the purpose of their life (and all humans), few think it’s a passing phase while others feel it’s more of a fanatic cult.

What's going on here?

E/acc is a pro-tech movement gaining traction in Silicon Valley that wants to accelerate technological progress as fast as possible without regulation.

What does this mean?

The e/acc ideology originated on social media from anonymous accounts like Beff Jezos and Bayeslord. Their philosophy? That we should step on the gas to advance technology as fast as humanly possible without pesky regulations slowing things down.

E/acc began as an online community filled with memes and confrontational rhetoric. But since this summer, it has been attracting major tech figures like Y Combinator's Garry Tan and Marc Andreessen. The core belief of the movement is that advancing technology rapidly will create abundance and solve humanity's problems. Recently the context has shifted to take “AI doomerism” hands-on.

The movement is getting a foot in the real world with conferences with Tan, Martin Shkreli, and others present. Some also want e/acc to become an organized political force.

Why should I care?

The rise of e/acc shows an ideological rift in Silicon Valley over AI's risks and regulations. As calls increase to regulate AI technology, e/acc represents a vocal countermovement of techno-optimists who believe innovation should proceed unchecked. And if we were to get deep, memes are a major part of how ideas spread in the online world—and eventually offline as well.

Whether e/acc successfully mobilizes as a political force or remains an online novelty, its rapid growth signals the debate on AI's societal impact is escalating. We should pay attention to movements like e/acc as harbingers of how different tech philosophies could shape AI's future. Understanding these perspectives, even if we disagree, can lead to more informed AI governance.