The Network State
How To Start a New Country
by Balaji Srinivasan
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More Recommenders
“Fascinating read so far. Highly recommended! | when i lived in the bay area, @balajis was one of the most inspiring thinkers out there dreaming for a post nationstate world and showing the path how to get there. highly recommend to check out his book:”
Source →“Fascinating read so far. Highly recommended! | when i lived in the bay area, @balajis was one of the most inspiring thinkers out there dreaming for a post nationstate world and showing the path how to get there. highly recommend to check out his book:”
Source →Recommended by 4 notable people, including Naval Ravikant and Marc Andreessen
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
An energetic, argumentative book that mixes startup playbook tactics with political speculation about building ‘network states’ from online communities. Its useful part is practical-sounding maneuvers and an expansive frame for imagining how digital-first communities might scale into physical governance. Its main limitation is speculative leaps and repeated manifesto-style rhetoric that leave legal, logistical, and moral gaps; readers seeking sober, evidence-heavy policy analysis or granular legal templates will find it thin. Lacks hands-on exercises or step-by-step legal blueprints.
Read this if...
- •a founder of a crypto or decentralized protocol trying to convert an engaged user base into a real-world governance experiment — useful for tactical ideas and persuasive language to rally supporters
- •a community organizer running a large virtual cooperative who wants strategies to translate online coordination into physical territory or legal recognition — helpful for strategic framing and recruitment thinking
- •a master's or PhD student writing on alternatives to nation-states who needs a provocative, tech-savvy manifesto to critique, compare, or cite as a contemporary example
Skip this if...
- •annoying if you prefer cautious, footnoted argumentation or dense empirical evidence rather than bold speculation and rhetorical momentum
- •you'll likely put it down when the narrative shifts into long hypothetical procedures and repeated evangelism — midbook manifesto repetitions are a common drop-off point
- •not a fit if you expected step-by-step legal templates or hands-on exercises; the book lacks practical legal checklists and operational playbooks
Technology, has enabled us to start new companies, new communities, and new currencies. But can we use it to start new cities, or even new countries This book explains how to build the successor to the nation state, a concept we call the network state.This book introduces the concept of the network state: a country you can start from your computer,...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a founder of a crypto or decentralized protocol trying to convert an engaged user base into a real-world governance experiment — useful for tactical ideas and persuasive language to rally supporters
- a community organizer running a large virtual cooperative who wants strategies to translate online coordination into physical territory or legal recognition — helpful for strategic framing and recruitment thinking
- a master's or PhD student writing on alternatives to nation-states who needs a provocative, tech-savvy manifesto to critique, compare, or cite as a contemporary example
- annoying if you prefer cautious, footnoted argumentation or dense empirical evidence rather than bold speculation and rhetorical momentum
- you'll likely put it down when the narrative shifts into long hypothetical procedures and repeated evangelism — midbook manifesto repetitions are a common drop-off point
- not a fit if you expected step-by-step legal templates or hands-on exercises; the book lacks practical legal checklists and operational playbooks
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 7 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Santiago Siri
“Fascinating read so far. Highly recommended! | when i lived in the bay area, @balajis was one of the most inspiring thinkers out there dreaming for a post nationstate world and showing the path how to get there. highly recommend to check out his book:”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Recommended by 4 sources.
“Starts as a lean, suspenseful time-travel premise that quickly settles into an immersive, character-focused saga. Its chief useful part is the way everyday 1960s small-town life and personal relationships make the historical stakes feel immediate; the novel rewards readers who relish atmosphere and slow moral puzzles. The main limitation is length and digressions—long domestic passages and episodic subplots stretch the middle and can undercut urgency for readers who wanted a tighter thriller.”
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Sarah MangusoHow recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.