The smart cities on the edge of forever
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MUSK CITY, Nevada the day began like any other day in southern Nevada. Neon lights flickered on at 5:30 a.m., framing one of the many electronic billboards that broadcast Elon Musk’s Twitter feed each day. A new tweet flashed across the screen “Dogecoin to the moon! Bitcoin is toast. #ColonizeMars.” Throngs of onlookers gasped as they saw the declaration, glancing anxiously at their phones as their Robinhood accounts plummeted in value.
The Nevada State Legislature passed a bill introduced by Gov. Sisolak in early 2021 allowing technology companies to form their own local governments, in order to attract technology firms to the state in an effort to “jumpstart the state’s economy.” The bill empowered these corporate governments to levy taxes, create school districts, form courts, and provide government services, the Associated Press reported at the time.