Technocrats' Utopian Fiefdoms
"Orbit City" with Libertarian Overlords
What happens when the richest men in the world get bored with their toys? When they are not busying building phallic symbols for space travel adventures, they are planning new urban utopian enclaves —freedom cities or networked states.
These Freedom Cities would be their own privately run, corporately governed cities. Deregulated zones for rapid experimentation in fields like biotech, autonomous vehicles, nuclear energy, and urban infrastructure with minimal government oversight. Think “Jetsons,” Orbit City.
The push for corporate billionaire-controlled "freedom cities" and network states echo the founding and expansion of the United States—especially the history of land grabbing, dispossession, and its impacts on marginalized communities, then and now. The expansion of the U.S. was built on the dispossession of Indigenous peoples, Mexican Americans, and Black landowners through legal manipulation, violence, and discriminatory policies. This resulted in the loss of land, culture, economic opportunity and political power for these communities.
Who are today’s robber barons? The Technocrats…
Peter Thiel
Tech billionaire, OG PayPal Mafia, venture capitalist, and early Facebook investor. Thiel is a major backer of both U.S. and international charter city projects (e.g., Próspera in Honduras) and is closely associated with the Freedom Cities Coalition.
Peter Thiel’s most significant roles are as founder or major investor in Palantir (AI/data analytics), Anduril (defense tech), Stripe and Ramp (fintech), and Rumble (media), all coordinated through Founders Fund. These companies are foundational to their vision of new, technologically advanced, secure, and autonomous societies—whether as Freedom Cities, network states, or other post-traditional governance models.
Marc Andreessen
Venture capitalist (Andreessen Horowitz) and prominent advocate for deregulated urban innovation. Andreessen’s network funds projects and think tanks support the creation of new city models.
Curtis Yarvin (Mencius Moldbug)
Neo-reactionary theorist whose ideas about post-democracy, corporate governance influence the intellectual underpinnings of network states and some Freedom City advocates.
Elon Musk
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX now appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration. Musk’s Memphis AI facility is a flagship project in the techno-state and Freedom Cities ecosystem, embodying the promise of AI-driven innovation and economic revitalization. His Colossus facility in Memphis highlights the environmental and social challenges that arise when elite-led technological projects intersect with vulnerable communities.
Donald Trump
Former and now President campaigned on the Freedom Cities concept, to address housing crisis. He proposed the use of federal land for new city development and supporting legislative and executive action to enable these projects.
The big WHY behind Freedom Cities, network states, and similar techno-libertarian projects is rooted in a mix of ideology, economics, and power—with accelerationist experimentation driven strategies. They believe existing governments are too slow and restrictive. The supporters of this concept believe it will unleash some pent-up American ingenuity to solve big problems held back by stifling regulations.
Regulations like EPA Clean Air and Water Acts or workers’ rights to unionize for fair wages and work conditions. Critics see it as a land and power grab that risks creating new forms of inequality, corporate feudalism, and undemocratic rule.
See the areas where this might occur first
other countries (there’s a reason they keep talking about invading Greenland) …
While Honduras (Próspera) is currently the most advanced real-world example, and Greenland is a major focus of U.S. tech and diplomatic ambition, the U.S. itself is likely to lead in launching large-scale, corporate-controlled “freedom cities” due to political will, available land, and a willing private sector. The recent Big Ugly Bill that just passed was a proposal for cuts to Medicaid and renewable-energy tax credits.
The sweeping amendment by Mike Lee (R-UT) would have required the sale of up to three million acres of federally managed public land over the next five years. The stated goal: Raise $10 billion by opening land across 11 Western states for housing development. Fortunately, this was removed due to the “Byrd Rule” but trust and believe they will make another attempt. Afterall it was a promise made on the campaign trail by the current President.
The Golden Age of Plutocracy
A society where only rich people make the rules is marked by extreme inequality, a weakened democracy, and policies that serve the few at the expense of the many. This system—plutocracy—a recipe for social unrest, declining public trust, and a lack of opportunity and power for most citizens.
These cities could become modern “company towns” or even “mini dictatorships,” where CEOs or billionaire owners wield unchecked power over residents and workers. This is a recipe for the erosion of democratic rights, labor protections, and public welfare, concentrating control in the hands of a small, wealthy elite.
Their utopian fiefdoms are not a model for a democratic republic —for the people, by the people. Their Freedom Cities mean less freedom and diminished quality of life for those without wealth —their “Golden Age” like the “Gilded Age” will end in disaster for the rest of us.
SOURCE:
Trump proposes building 10 ‘freedom cities’ and flying cars
Senate Republicans propose selling up to 3 million acres of federally managed public land
Trump’s “Freedom Cities” Are a Devious Scam
Tech Execs Are Pushing Trump to Build ‘Freedom Cities’ Run by Corporations
What Are 'Freedom Cities'? Billionaire CEOs' Plan Could Reshape America