Network States

Discuss https://open.substack.com/pub/jchanolm/p/there-will-be-blood

Cofounder axis.xyz (YC W22). Humans for the best machines for the rest. Interested in legibility and beauty.

The text fails to address the observation from the Sovereign Individual that seems rather central to network states about the diminishing returns of violence

When value moves to the digital realm, it's harder for armies to capture. Tech like drones also makes conquest difficult and unprofitable for even enormous armies like Russia

Freelance data engineer | Backend and data engineering for Spotify, Candy Crush, helped build SF-based appsec startup | Building web3gains.com | saarw.twitter

I like a lot about the sovereign individual but I never bought that notion. Value, in digital or physical, realms accrues to people who can be harmed and coerced.

I accept that, compared to the physical, the digital realm is less legible as an attack surface area. However, I don’t think an Elysium styled network state does not have sovereign defence and violence deterrence concerns.

Digital value can be moved while the ability to exert violence diminishes outside the attackers home turf

There are numerous examples - no unions that blockade Github repos like they blockaded factories, proposals for wealth taxation these days just makes people leave their countries etc