Digital nomads could create network states

The most acute need for a network state is among white-collar refugees (yes, they exist!). These people need all kinds of services that their host states are unable/unwilling to provide, including access to work.

Sora Union is one org working on this problem, and the focus on knowledge worker refugees makes me think they are addressing a much deeper problem (and one that will only grow), than your typical network staters, who are usually working on a nice to have and not a need.

https://soraunion.com/

This is some 1960s level of optimism lol. While I applaud the authors enthusiasm, this will break as soon as a warship shows up at your free city, and your society (made up of people who avoid governments as much as possible) turns out to not be willing to fight for yours. This doesn't have to be a warship - I would wager that at first major obstacle many would defect.

The closest historical analog seem to be Jewish communities of medieval europe, perhaps up to 1900s. They could sometimes get different treatment, and had some structures, although never as centralised. Some countries even wanted them for their knowledge/skillset and connections (?) which lines up with digital nomad's attributes.

The whole concept is baffling to me.

People don’t like immigrants as it is, why would they take kindly to “digital nomads” proclaiming citizenship in a “network state”?

Proclaiming a permanently foreign identity and banding together to demand preferential treatment. It’s the polar opposite of the model immigrant, who seeks to assimilate and become a citizen that contributes equally to local society.

Not only that, they even seek entire cities to themselves complete with favorable tax treatment, worse than an anti-immigration activist’s most farfetched strawman depiction of an immigrant neighborhood!

Sounds like being politically invisible as “some odd expats/tourists” is saving these people’s skins.

How does one become a digital nomad in this economy?

I'm a DE in Canada and am willing to work for anything above 100k TC remotely, but nowadays it's impossible to get one.

I'm OK to switch to a new field and start with 80K remote as well. Not sure which to switch though.

Regarding the state idea, I think it's more of a fancy than reality. States are political entities and they need power.

Perhaps, but union/community/state is antithetical to a large proportion of digital nomads.

This started out sounding interesting, but then a few paragraphs in, it pivots to some crypto nonsense that's wishful thinking even by crypto standards.

Fun read but a bit dumb.

You can't just create a new tax haven just because "it'd be cool", the author is extremely naive.

Also he talks about these communities as if there were not already a few dozen with that many members.