This article provides an in-depth analysis of the concept of "cyberstate", including its background, philosophy, and potential social impact. Through the description of relevant characters and events, the article triggers thinking about future governance models and questions the role and influence of technology in the political field. This article originates from a BBC article, organized and compiled by Bitpush. (Preliminary summary: An inventory of 21 early cryptocurrency projects selected for the a16z Autumn Acceleration Camp) (Background supplement: a16z teaches you: a winning strategy for new startups to "build a successful community from scratch") Do you look forward to the coming United States? Feel like democracy might be in trouble as we head into the presidential election and think about the political turmoil ahead? A group of tech entrepreneurs backed by Silicon Valley's big money feel the same way. Imagine if you could choose your nationality the same way you choose your gym membership. This is Balaji Srinivasan’s vision for the future. Balaji — who, like Madonna, has quite a name — is a “rock star” in the crypto world. As an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, he firmly believes that technology can do a better job in almost every function currently performed by the government. Last fall, I watched Balaji lay out his ideas in a large conference hall on the outskirts of Amsterdam. As he walked slowly on the stage, he asked: "We can start companies like Google; we can build new communities like Facebook; we can build new currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum; then, we Can we build a new country?" Dressed in a slightly baggy gray suit and loose tie, he looks less like a rock star and more like a middle-level manager in a company's accounting department. But don’t be fooled by appearances. Balaji was once a partner at Silicon Valley giant venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and he has strong capital support behind him. Silicon Valley is obsessed with "disruption." Tech startups have been disrupting traditional media for years, and now they're also penetrating into other areas such as education, finance, and space travel. Balaji told the audience: “Imagine thousands of startups, each replacing different traditional institutions.They coexist with the existing system, gradually attract users, and accumulate power until they become the new mainstream. If startups can replace these traditional institutions, Balaji reasoned, they can also replace the state. He calls this idea "Network State": a start-up state. Here's how it works: First, communities will form on the Internet based on shared interests or values, and then these communities will acquire land and become "physical states" with their own laws. These states will coexist with existing nation-states and eventually replace them. You will choose your nationality just like you choose your Internet service provider and become a citizen of your preferred Internet country. The disproportionate influence of corporations in national affairs is nothing new. The term "Banana Republic" comes from United Fruit, an American company that virtually dominated Guatemala for decades starting in the 1930s. In addition to owning most of the land, it controlled railroads, the postal service, and the telegraph. When the Guatemalan government tried to resist, the CIA assisted United Fruit in staging a coup. But the Cyber ​​Nation movement's ambitions appear to be even greater. Not only do they want existing governments to be subservient to corporations and leave them to their own devices, but they also want corporations to replace government. Some see the idea of ​​a cyberstate as a manifestation of neocolonialism, which would replace democratically elected leaders with corporate autocrats who serve the interests of shareholders. But others see it as a way to deal with the burdensome regulations that Western democracies now have. At first glance, it sounds like the fantasy of technology brothers? In fact, some prototypes of the Internet nation already exist. At a conference in Amsterdam, some tech entrepreneurs demonstrated these "start-up societies." Among them are Cabin, a modern rural network city located in the United States, Portugal and other places; and Culdesac, a community in Arizona designed for remote work. Balaji's concept of a cyberstate is based on "Charter Cities" - special economic zones, similar to free ports. Several such projects are under construction around the world, including in Nigeria and Zambia. At a recent rally in Las Vegas, Trump promised that if elected in November, he would open up federal lands in Nevada to create new special zones with "ultra-low taxes, ultra-low regulations" to attract new industries. Build affordable housing and create jobs. He said the plan would reinvigorate "the pioneer spirit and the American dream." Culdesac and Cabin are more like online communities that have established a territorial base. Próspera, on the coast of Honduras, is different. It bills itself as a “private city” for entrepreneurs and promotes the science of longevity—offering unregulated gene therapies to slow the aging process. Próspera is operated by a for-profit company registered in the U.S. state of Delaware and was granted autonomous legislative power under special policies of the previous Honduras government. Current President Xiomara Castro wants to revoke its privileges and has begun stripping it of some of its special treatment. As a result, Próspera filed a $10.8 billion lawsuit against the Honduran government. A Free Market Encrypted City During the one-day promotion event, Dryden Brown, a young man wearing a gray hoodie, took the stage to speak. He said he wants to build a new city-state somewhere along the Mediterranean coast that would not be governed by a vast state bureaucracy but by blockchain - the technology behind cryptocurrencies. Its founding principles will be the ideas of "dynamism" and "heroic virtue". He called it "Praxis," which comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "action." He said the first citizens of the new country would be able to move in in 2026. He was a little fuzzy on the details. Where to move? Who will build the infrastructure? Who will manage it? Dryden Brown fiddled with a remote control on stage and showed a slide showing the tens of billions of dollars behind Praxis. However, at present, the "Praxis community" mainly exists on the Internet. You can apply to become a citizen on their website. But who exactly these citizens are is unclear. Dryden showed another slide, a meme of Pepe the Frog, the sad cartoon frog that became the mascot of the alt-right during the 2016 Trump campaign. In the niche world of startup nation, Praxis is known for its avant-garde approach. They hosted legendary parties: candlelight dinners in a vast Manhattan loft, where introverted programmers mingled with stylish models and figures from the Dark Enlightenment — including blogger Curtis Yarvin. ), who advocates a totalitarian future ruled by corporate "monarchs." Alvin's ideas have sometimes been described as fascistic, which he denied. Attendees at such parties are required to sign nondisclosure agreements, and reporters are generally not welcome. After his speech, I went to talk to Dryden Brown. He seemed a little defensive and cold, but he still gave me his phone number. I sent him several messages...