Network State Unveils Push for Corporate Dystopia Cities

Quick post this morning to share an important weekend read.

The Network State cult is actively lobbying Congress to legalize new kinds of corporate-controlled cities where normal laws don’t apply.

From Caroline Haskins and Vittoria Elliott at Wired:

Several groups representing “startup nations”—tech hubs exempt from the taxes and regulations that apply to the countries where they are located—are drafting Congressional legislation to create “freedom cities” in the US that would be similarly free from certain federal laws, WIRED has learned.

According to interviews and presentations viewed by WIRED, the goal of these cities would be to have places where anti-aging clinical trials, nuclear reactor startups, and building construction can proceed without having to get prior approval from agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Though the story makes no mention of the Network State movement, this push for legislation aligns fully with the Network State goal of creating “startup nations” or “charter cities” ruled by tech corporations. Trey Goff, chief of staff for Próspera – a Network State city in Honduras backed by Sam Altman, Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel – is featured prominently in the piece:

According to Goff, Freedom Cities Coalition has briefed White House officials on three options for creating freedom cities. One is through “interstate compacts.” In this scenario, two or more states could set aside territories with shared tax and regulation policies, with some state-specific carve-outs. Under existing law, these compacts can’t be revoked, though they can be dissolved under certain circumstances.

If an interstate compact is approved by Congress, it becomes valid under federal law. Goff says the coalition is considering Congressional legislation that would give “advanced consent” to any freedom city compacts. That way, Congress wouldn’t need to approve each individual city.

Trump’s 2024 campaign proposed something called “freedom cities,” a lightly rebranded version of the Network State. Yet, most news outlets mentioned the idea without providing any real explanation of the concept.

Let’s be clear: These cities will be controlled entirely by tech billionaires and corporations, operating outside of U.S. laws. As this story comes into focus, there is no reason why anyone should accept the Orwellian term “freedom city” to describe zones that will actually be devoid of the laws, rights, freedoms and protections of normal American law. The term is an overt political manipulation that should be rejected by media outlets going forward, as it serves only the interest of propaganda.

Fascist Cities would be more accurate, though I’m sure U.S. newsrooms can find a milder term. The Wired story quotes me pushing back on the false freedom framing:

These are going to be cities without democracy. These are going to be cities without workers' rights. These are going to be cities where the owners of the city, the corporations, the billionaires have all the power and everyone else has no power. That's what's so attractive about these sovereign entities to these people, is that they will actually be anti-freedom cities.

I encourage you to read the entire piece and share it with everyone you know. Subscribe if you must! Wired is the only major outlet covering this story. Your subscription is a vote for more! Click below to read:

More Network State Reading

Last August, I wrote about Trump's plan to build new territories and how it reflected the goals of the Network State cult:

The Network State's dream of creating a world without democracy was also the subject of my five-part series in The New Republic last year.

With the Network State pushing to get a law passed in Washington, how much longer can major outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post ignore this story?