The Tech Billionaires Soft-Launching Secession in California — If these Silicon Valley plutocrats have their way, a swath of Solano County will be transformed into their own nation-state

L4sBot@lemmy.worldmod to Technology@lemmy.world – 52 points – The People of Solano County Versus the Next Tech-Billionaire Dystopia
newrepublic.com

The Tech Billionaires Soft-Launching Secession in California — If these Silicon Valley plutocrats have their way, a swath of Solano County will be transformed into their own nation-state::If these Silicon Valley plutocrats have their way, a swath of Solano County will be transformed into their own nation-state.

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Buying land in rural California to potentially incorporate a new town is not remotely comparable to seceding from the United States.

Some fun absurdities:

  • The article repeatedly refers to the plan as "secretive" while also discussing "packed town hall meetings", official statements, lawsuits, etc
  • there is a link to a supposed lawsuit, which actually links to an obituary.
  • the term "network zone" is defined as some kind of physical dystopian neighborhood with a billionaire ruling as king, but the linked definition describes the term as having to do with online forums.
  • the article defines secession as "paying people in gold or crypto" and attending private school.

It's a wild ride.

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It's hardly American, company towns they were all the rage in Victorian England, and many of them still exist today. The problem is when they tried to pay you in company scrip. This has now been outlawed so now so it's not really a problem.

See also:

  • Republic of Minerva (failed due to territory actually being claimed by Tonga)
  • Liberland (failing due to territory clearly belonging to someone and both countries agree to that fact)
  • Bir Tawil (failed due to it being inhospitable)
  • Rapture (fictitious but failed when its founder betrayed its principles to save it)
  • and Seasteading (Failed when Peter fucking Thiel knew it was too expensive)

"Democracy isn't the answer"

Just translates to: I can't work in group projects and receive full credit, so I'm going to come up with a half ass solution that history shows won't work.

Lol, which billionaire didn't get invited to the party and is so bitter about it they will pay for stupid articles?

I bet it was musk. Someone send him a xitter message and rile him up

The media blitz is going to be insane for those poor people.

The plus side is that they dumped ridiculous amounts of money into buying out all the land. Like 10x and more of the actual value. At least some family farmers got a big payday.

These fucks should set up Wyoming or South Dakota. Low taxes, would actually bring value to the state, and they could probally flip the state to blue just with their own selves. Likely take too long to helicopter back to the valley though, so the billionares just totally had to set this up in California.

Why would they pay to live somewhere that's inconvenient, no one would want to live somewhere inconvenient this isn't a billionaire thing, it's just a human thing. I don't get why you're mad that they don't want to live in Wyoming. Who does?

Im not mad, I just think it would be more intersting as a billionare to build a tech hub in a deeply rural state than 60 miles north of Frisco'. The dynamics and impact it would have to one of these deeply rural states would be fascinating.

Setting up a vacation city a quick helicopters ride from your san fran penthouse is pretty mundane. If you want to do something stupid with your ill gotten gains, at least be interesting.

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