Meet the crypto billionaires building a world where money buys you a vote
The Free Republic of Liberland is a micronation on the Danube River backed by crypto-billionaires who aim to replace traditional government with a system based on digital tokens. In this model, political influence and voting power are directly tied to the amount of 'Liberland Merits' an individual owns.
Why it matters
It highlights a growing ideological movement among tech elites to bypass democratic governance in favor of privatized, blockchain-based political structures.
Figure caption, Watch: What it's like to arrive in Liberland with a group of settlers
The Free Republic of Liberland doesn't look like much from the boat.
You would never guess that this flat, muddy stretch of floodplain on the Danube River, dotted with alder trees, tents and treehouses, is connected to some of the world's wealthiest men - including the biggest initial investor in the Trump family's crypto business.
By contrast, the virtual reality version of Liberland I'm currently being shown, designed by Zaha Hadid's ZHA architecture firm, features gleaming towers, floating public parks, and gravity-defying water features.
The person showing it to me is Vít Jedlička, Liberland's president. He founded the micronation on a disputed bit of territory between Serbia and Croatia with the goal of making a truly libertarian, digital country that runs on the same technology as cryptocurrencies.
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