Silicon Valley’s libertarian elite have long wanted their own state, and as taxes rise the dream is gaining momentum. In September, Praxis, the “world’s first digital nation”, announced that it had picked a spot in Uruguay for its “city of the future”.
Praxis, which brands itself as a venture-backed “heroic society”, was founded in 2019 by Dryden Brown, a 30-year-old competitive surfer, along with former hedge-fund analyst Charlie Callinan. Their “high testosterone futuristic vision”, says Brown, is to rescue the “wasteland” that is Western civilisation. While he once described Praxis as “reminiscent of Rome, Athens, and Sparta, but with spacefaring ambitions”, he has since changed his tune. The rather more ordinary plan now is to build homes, set up a resort, have “awesome yoga” and good DJs.
