Can a country be built from the internet up? Not as a metaphor or an online community, but as a system that replaces institutions we usually think of as fixed, money, law, and governance.In this conversation taken from The Network State Podcast, a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz joins Balaji Srinivasan to explore how internet native institutions are beginning to mirror and challenge traditional state structures. Drawing parallels to China’s early special economic zones, they discuss how constrained experiments like Shenzhen tested new rules without rewriting the entire system, and why similar experimentation is now happening online.The discussion examines crypto, digital identity, and network states as attempts to turn code into coordination and coordination into legitimacy, while grappling with a core tension. Code is deterministic, but societies are not. Ben and Balaji explore where these systems work, where they break, and whether network states are a curiosity or the next phase of governance. Resources:Follow Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitzFollow Balaji on X: https://x.com/balajisListen to more from The Network State: <a href="https://ns.com/podcast">https://ns.com/podcast</a> Stay Updated:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: <a href="https://x.com/a16z">https://x.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX">https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX</a>Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://x.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenberg">https://x.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenberg</a>Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures">http://a16z.com/disclosures</a>.   
Stay Updated:Find a16z on <a href="https://x.com/a16z">X</a>Find a16z on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z"> LinkedIn</a>Listen to the a16z Show on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg">Spotify</a>Listen to the a16z Show on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711">Apple Podcasts</a>Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg&nbsp;Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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