What I like about that question is that it makes me think about the ways in which we might go about to change our world. Say you have a Big Goal; then the degree of secrecy by which you try to achieve that goal can run from 'none (e.g. by writing a book or through democratic processes)' to 'full-fledged secret conspiracy'. It's a spectrum, I think. Lobbying by big corporations for example is closer in my opinion to conspiracy than to an open democracy. It also makes me wonder what kind of goals necessitate secrecy, if at all? Thiel considered buying and then smothering Gawker. But he also knew that wouldn't solve the long-term issue, that it wouldn't send the message of decency that he wanted all media to honor. Someone else would simply pick up the ashes.