FUTURE FLASH: IS THE NETWORK STATE IMMINENT?

Balaji Srinivasan presents the concept of network states, arguing they are possible, preferable, and profitable. He draws parallels between the founding of companies like Google and Facebook and the potential for creating new countries. He envisions physical social networks with crowdfunded nodes globally, akin to interconnected Chinatowns. Srinivasan highlights the growing number of small countries and the increasing acceptance of cryptocurrencies as evidence of this possibility. He points out that land is already doing deals with the cloud, citing examples like Tuvalu and El Salvador. He argues that network states offer an alternative for people in failing states and those with a frontier mindset. The discussion touches on the economic model of network states, comparing them to SaaS businesses with high per-person revenue. He suggests that pop-ups are the new startups, leading to permanence and physical presence for online networks. He emphasizes the potential for collaboration between cloud communities and pro-tech governments in places like NEOM to foster economic prosperity. He concludes that new societies are now practical.