Tech Billionaires Want to Build a Network State in Greenland
In my latest explainer video (4 minutes), I talk about why a company funded by tech billionaires seeks to build a new tech-ruled city in Greenland. Please watch, share and subscribe.
For those who prefer to read rather than watch, here's the full transcript of the video:
Why Tech Billionaires Want to Seize Greenland
So Donald Trump is threatening to steal Greenland from Denmark. And a group funded by Silicon Valley billionaires plans to build a new tech city there.
It sounds utterly bizarre — but it’s even weirder and scarier than you think. Greenland’s tech driven takeover isn’t about one frozen island. It’s about Silicon Valley billionaires taking over the entire world.
Because the plot to build a new city in Greenland is part of an extremist tech ideology called the Network State.
Here’s a quick Network State refresher:
A cultish group of tech billionaires has decided that democracy no longer matters. They want to establish new territories — tiny corporate countries — under their control.
These would be pure corporate autocracies — fiefdoms where tech elites have total power.
The Network State philosophy comes from extreme reactionary thinkers like Curtis Yarvin and Balaji Srinivasan. There’s even an entire Network State conference every year focused on creating these dystopias around the world.
One of the key players in The Network State? A startup called Praxis. The company says it has raised over $525 million to build a new city from scratch.
The project’s investors include funds connected to Peter Thiel, Sam Altman and Marc Andreessen. A key idea in Praxis is to create a city based on crypto-economics and government controlled by Silicon Valley eggheads.
In fact, Balaji Srinivasan — the guy who wrote the Network State book — is an investor in Praxis.. He calls the plan a form of “tech Zionism.”
Until recently, Praxis called itself a Network State project. Last year, the project’s website declared it would be the “First Network State” and “The Next America — Built on the Internet.”Their pitch was: “As local communities dissolve and Nation States stumble, Network States will ascend …The next global superpower will be a Network State.”
But today, Praxis seems to be downplaying the Network State connection on its website. Why? They might be trying to soften their pitch for their next target.
And that target is Greenland.
Praxis wants to turn the Danish territory into a Network State. Let’s talk about WHY
Size and Space: Greenland is massive — three times the size of Texas, but only 57,000 residents.Wealth: Under the island ice are cold, hard assets. Greenland is rich in rare-earth minerals, oil and gas reserves and more.
Location: With climate change emptying Greenland’s ice and glaciers, some billionaires see a juicy opportunity to move in before the melt to take land that will only become more valuable
That’s the Why. Now let’s talk about the How.
Trump has fantasized about buying Greenland for years. Now he’s floating other things. From bribing the residents outright with yearly payments. To possibly taking the territory by force.
And he just named a new ambassador to Denmark — Ken Howery — to drive what comes next. Howery has deep connections to Peter Thiel, one of the key influencers of the Network State movement.
Expect Trump’s obsession with Greenland to escalate. He sees it as the ultimate real estate deal. He dreams of stealing the land and selling it off to his tech billionaires buddies so they can harvest the natural resources and build their weird Network State city.
On a recent visit to Greenland – Vice President JD Vance, who owes his entire political career to Peter Thiel — attacked Denmark. He told our NATO partner: "You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.” When the commander of the U.S. military base in Greenland pledged that “all of our flags will fly proudly — together” — she was fired.
The conflict over Greenland is only heating up. But remember what’s driving it: a billionaire war on democracy.
The Network State, which is also pushing for Trump’s dystopian “freedom cities,” is actively encouraging the takeover of Greenland.
Call it what it is: a colonization fantasy mixed with billionaire secessionism. And it isn’t just a kooky idea spread by Silicon Valley trolls on the internet. It’s a serious movement—backed by billionaires and powered by ideology. But now — it’s shaping America’s foreign policy.
Sources and Further Reading
New Republic: The People of Solano County Versus the Next Tech-Billionaire Dystopia https://newrepublic.com/article/177733/billionaire-solano-california-tech-secession
Reuters: Greenland ‘Freedom City’? Rich donors push Trump for a tech hub up north https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greenland-freedom-city-rich-donors-push-trump-tech-hub-up-north-2025-04-10/
Inside Hook: A Startup Linked to Peter Thiel Wants to Build the “Next Great City” in Greenland https://www.insidehook.com/internet/peter-thiel-praxis-next-great-city-greenland
Wired: ‘Startup City’ Groups Say They’re Meeting Trump Officials to Push for Deregulated ‘Freedom Cities’: https://www.wired.com/story/startup-cities-donald-trump-legislation/
Gizmodo: Worst New Trend of 2024: Techno-Colonialism and the Network State Movement: https://gizmodo.com/worst-new-trend-of-2024-techno-colonialism-and-the-network-state-movement-2000525617
Gizmodo: Peter Thiel-Backed Startup That Wanted to Buy Greenland Is Thrilled That Trump Wants to Buy Greenland https://gizmodo.com/peter-thiel-backed-startup-that-wanted-to-buy-greenland-is-thrilled-that-trump-wants-to-buy-greenland-2000548415