Nevada’s governor wants to establish innovation zones that’ll give tech companies the ability to establish laws\u2014and one crypto frim is interested.<\/b>
\nIn an apparent attempt to barrel the country towards its inevitable cyberpunk dystopia, Nevada\u2019s governor announced a proposal on Friday that would give tech companies jurisdiction and power akin to county governments. Gov. Steve Sisolak wants to allow tech companies to be able to create \u201cInnovation Zones\u201d in Nevada, according to The Associated Press. These zones will be governed by an assigned board of three people (two of whom are appointed by the company itself). That board will have the power to determine and govern everything from taxing, to zoning, to even laws that would supersede local county ordinances. That\u2019s right: They want to give tech companies the ability to write their own laws. In order to qualify, the companies need to own at least 50,000 acres of land in one Nevada county and promise to invest $1.25 billion into the development. \u201cInnovation zones are a unique and bold idea that I understand will not be received immediately with open arms,\u201d Sisolak told the Reno Gazette Journal without a hint of irony on Friday. \u201cBut it is my hope that starting today, we can have open, honest, productive conversation on how this could work [\u2026] to help Nevadans and not simply write it off.\u201d Though the proposal is open to all tech companies who believe Blade Runner is more of a blueprint than a fictional movie, there was an intended target for it: Blockchains LLC \u2014 a cryptocurrency company that bought 67,000 acres in Storey County, Nevada for $160 million in 2018. The company wants to build a \u201csmart city\u201d in rural Nevada with blockchain tech embedded in its infrastructure. They also plan on using cryptocurrency in a variety of different industries in the state such as cannabis sales, or gig work like Uber and Postmates. According to an economic impact study (commissioned by Blockchains LLC btw), the smart city will boost economic growth in Nevada, projecting up to $2.2 billion in annual output. Of course, many are rightfully concerned that this is rapidly turning into a wait-a-minute-we\u2019re-just-doing-company-towns-again-aren\u2019t-we scenario \u2014 but Blockchains LLC\u2019s CEO Jeffrey Berns unsurprisingly believes it\u2019s all in good faith and that his company\u2019s technology is a force of good (and not the bleak, dystopic consequences of unfettered capitalism). \u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to build is a place where you have power instead of companies,\u201d he told AP in February. Gov. Sisolak is also adamant that this is a net good for his state, explaining, \u201cThis proposal is an exciting, unprecedented concept that has a potential to position Nevada as a global center of advanced technology and innovation, while helping create immediate positive economic impact and shape the economy of the future.\u201d Look, it\u2019s a very compelling idea \u2014 but if we\u2019ve learned anything from handing governmental and legal reins over to corporations in the past, it\u2019s that the workers and citizens of these towns end up getting screwed over big time. So maybe this \u201csmart city\u201d isn\u2019t exactly the smartest idea. (Also, someone should probably update the song 16 Tons to be about Bitcoin miners instead of coal miners.) READ MORE: Nevada governor proposes giving tech firms power to govern [The Associated Press] Related to bad ideas: Elon Musk Invites SEC Into Battle Over Dogecoin, Because??!??!?!??!<\/p>\n