Feed: Slashdot
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Title: 400 'Tech Utopian' Refuges Consider New Crypto-Friendly State

Link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/09/01/00472...

"Nearly 400 students, many of them entrepreneurs, have so far made the
journey to Forest City to study everything from coding to unconventional
theories on statehood," reports Bloomberg. "They're building crypto projects,
fine-tuning their physiques and testing whether a shared ideology - rather
than just shared territory - can bind a community." They have descended on
Forest City to attend Network School, the brainchild of former Coinbase Inc.
executive and "The Network State" author Balaji Srinivasan. In this troubled
megaproject once envisaged to house some 50 times its current population,
they're conducting a real-life experiment of sorts with Srinivasan's vision
of "startup societies" defined less by historical territory than shared
beliefs in technology, cryptocurrency and light regulation... Mornings are
spent in product sprints and coding sessions; afternoons in seminars
exploring topics from the Meiji Restoration to Singapore's statecraft and the
mechanics of decentralized governance. Guest lectures double as both
technological deep dives and ideological sermons, according to half a dozen
students interviewed by Bloomberg. The campus also mirrors Silicon Valley's
infatuation with longevity and health, right down to a commercial-grade gym
and specially designed workout routines. Students follow a protein-heavy
diet... After co-founding DNA testing startup Counsyl in 2008 and serving as
its chief technology officer, Srinivasan spent five years at venture capital
firm Andreessen Horowitz, first as general partner and then as board partner.
He joined Coinbase as CTO in 2018 when the crypto exchange bought a portfolio
company he oversaw and left after a little over a year, according to his
LinkedIn profile. In a 2013 speech at Y Combinator's Startup School,
Srinivasan brought his ideas about what he saw as a fundamental conflict
between some modern nation-states and innovation to a wider audience. In the
address, he advocated for Silicon Valley's "ultimate exit" from the U.S.,
which he argued was obsolete and hostile to innovators. In essence: If the
society you live in is broken, why not just "opt out" and create a new one?
"The Network State: How To Start a New Country," published in 2022, expanded
on Srinivasan's "exit" concept to outline how online, ideologically aligned
communities can use crypto and digital tools to form new, decentralized
states. A network state can be geographically dispersed and bound together by
the internet and blockchains, he says, and the aim is to gain diplomatic
recognition... On the Moment of Zen podcast in September 2023, he outlined
how the "Gray Tribe" - entrepreneurs, innovators and thinkers - can retake
control of San Francisco from the Blues using a variety of tactics, like
allying with local police. The effort would involve gaining control of
territory, according to Srinivasan, who didn't advocate for violence.
"Elections are just the cherry on the cake," he said. "Elections are just a
reflection of your total control of the streets." The cost of attending
Network School "starts at $1,500 per month, including lodging and food, for
those who opt for a shared room."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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