Reality show about an unregulated offshore techno-libertarian Utopia in the works

Silicon Valley’s favorite libertarians have pinned their hopes of an unregulated utopia on floating cities. Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel is among the Silicon Valley elite supporting so-called “seasteading”, manufactured ocean colonies not bound by the nagging government that taxes and regulates tech companies in California.

The Seasteading Institute confirmed to VentureBeat that earlier reports last Friday by Fusion of its planned reality show, are, in fact, true. “While the show is still in development we aren’t able to release any additional information on our end,” wrote Seasteading’s Randolph Hencken to VentureBeat in an email.

“The Seasteading Institute is consulting with a new unscripted television series for a major cable network. The show is seeking a variety of experts and survivalists ready to create a new community on the ocean while building, engineering, and rehabbing residential quarters.”

So, if you think the last tech reality show, Start-ups: Silicon Valley, could have been a lot more like Survivor, get excited.

It is true that regulation can severely kneecap some emerging industries. Uber and Lyft routinely get kicked out of cities for failing to meet stringent taxi-cab laws. Amazon has yet to pilot a working drone delivery service, in part because FAA regulations won’t allow them to do all the testing they’d like.

Hypothetically — and it’s a big “if” — a working floating economy could be established, some of these emerging industries might have the space to grow. Perhaps that could make way for a kind of Shark Tank style business competition. But, instead of the normal small business, it’s a group of techno-libertarians pitching products that no land-based government on earth deems wise to allow.

Upon reflection, the show could be quite entertaining. This might just get the techno-libertarians the traction they’re seeking.