Even though he views the media as half of the “Cathedral” (his term for what he believes is the oppressive ideological power of journalists and academics that secretly rules Western society), he agrees to meet me in Berkeley, California. We go on a short hike as Yarvin, looking like an aging punk rocker, speaks in labyrinthine, long stories, citing esoteric texts and periods of history to make his point.
In our conversation, he outlines his “patchwork” concept, in which traditional nation states are replaced by a global network of sovereign mini-countries, owned by shareholders and competing for citizens the way businesses compete for customers. He believes that blockchain can be used to create this world, and that the result will be “corporate monarchies” ruled by “CEO kings.” These corporate monarchs will be accountable to a hidden board of shareholders that could potentially even control the military and police through what’s called a “crypto-dingus” that would allow them to essentially disable all weapons.
Many of these tech billionaires view Trump and his office as obsolete, something that will eventually be replaced by their superior technology. As I’ve spent time with tech billionaires, I’ve increasingly gotten the feeling that they see themselves as the real power holders.
The crypto lobby has now surpassed the fossil fuel industry to become the most powerful lobby in the US, contributing $238 million in the last election cycle, according to a Fox Business analysis.external. Yarvin, Sun, Draper and Liberland provide insight into the future some of them see for us.
From Justin Sun to Liberland to Tim Draper, everyone has told me how blockchain technology and cryptocurrency can free us—and our money—from government control. But who would we hand over control to instead? Every example I’ve seen ends with wealth and power shifting to whoever controls the technology.