"At the "Network State Conference" held in Singapore earlier in October, former Coinbase chief technology officer Balaji Srinivasan shared his vision for the "ultimate exit" by tech industry elites from the "failing" United States. "I think it's fair to say, in 2025, we have a movement," Srinivasan exclaimed. That movement is the rise of "startup societies," a pro-corporate, anti-government coalition of tech magnates, libertarian idealists, and neoliberal economic theorists."
"Described as a "frontier community for techno-optimists" and "society-as-a-service," the Network School costs $1,500 a month for basic members. For that, participants get access to luxuries like "coworking spaces," "high speed wifi," and even "office pods," according to the Network School website. Though Forest City is mostly a "ghost town," as attendee Jules Foa described it, members can come together and network at exciting seminars like "Rizz101: get what you want from life," and "Junto: The Assassination of Charlie Kirk.""
Economic discontent worldwide is motivating techno billionaires and libertarian idealists to create alternative, pro-corporate communities called startup societies. Around 120 groups are attempting to build specially designed cities to attract wealthy residents disillusioned with organized society. Initiatives include Network School on Forest City, an artificial island in Singapore offering paid memberships with coworking, high-speed wifi, and office pods. Events and seminars, some criticized as superficial, serve networking and community-building functions despite many locations remaining sparsely populated. The movement frames itself as an escape from failing states and promotes society-as-a-service models combining techno-optimism, neoliberal economics, and anti-government sentiment.
Read at Futurism
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