Why I'm writing this Substack

Internet, disruption, Nation-States and way more...

I'm starting this Substack because I'm writing a book about the disruption of nation-states by the Internet, and how enlightened individuals will be able to thrive in this new world.

I'm writing this book in French, my mother tongue, but I decided to write this Substack in English because :

• I feel that the English-speaking community sensitive to this subject is much larger than in French, and I want to contribute to this global community in the most effective way possible.

• I'm already part of several groups interested in these subjects, all of which communicate exclusively in English, and I want to contribute to these groups with my content.

• It's the global language par excellence, the language of the Internet, the spread of which goes hand in hand with the disruption of nation-states.

• I'd also like to put my ideas in the "boxing ring of ideas", to get feedback and criticism (constructive, I hope!) to flesh out the concepts before publication in book format.

• I want to prepare for publication of the book in English (which will therefore be a translation) by building an audience of English speakers interested in the subject.

On this last point, I'm learning from my own mistakes, as I wrote a best-selling book in French, "Tout le monde n'a pas eu la chance de rater ses études" (which sold around 115,000 copies), while its English translation, "The Way of The Intelligent Rebel", only sold around 5,000 copies.

I put this down to more intense competition in English, but also mainly to the fact that I only have a very small audience in that language.

"So why not write the book directly in English," you might ask? Excellent question.

Quite simply because, although I consider myself roughly bilingual in spoken English, I have an infinitely better command of the French language than English, and I don’t think I will maximize my chances of creating relevant content by writing in English.

So I'll be publishing on this Substack mainly translations of passages I've written in French for my book.

A few years ago, I would have had to hire a translator, which would have represented a significant budget, but advances in artificial intelligence mean that I'll be able to translate the essentials with the Deepl tool, which is, of all those I've tested, the best.

But it's not perfect yet, and as English is a second language to me, I apologize for any errors or strange stylistic arrangements you may see: they're entirely my fault, so please don't hesitate to point them out :) .

The topics of this Substack

We'll be exploring many around the Internet's disruption of nation-states, such as the lessons of history in social and technological change, the increasing mobility of citizens - and the impact of remote working and the tax and legal implications of this mobility -, the disruptive effects of crypto, crypto-currencies on the stability of nation-states, the difficulties states have in combating international tax fraud that Internet and globalization make easier, the difficulties they have in protecting their citizens against online fraud committed in other countries, or how the Internet disrupts the sense of national belonging.

We'll also discuss how the Internet can both facilitate widespread surveillance and emancipate individuals from stifling regulations, and two potential avenues for nation-states in the future: increasing their control over residents, or adopting a more customer-oriented approach.

We'll also look at strategies for navigating this new landscape such as how to break the chains of centralization and maximize freedom through expatriation, ways to minimize your taxation, and examples of countries where nomads can feel freer.

And we'll try to demystify the real amount of taxes you pay, and talk about the notion of patriotism in this context of global transformation.

And we'll talk about much, much more! :)

About yours truly

I was born in France, have been an entrepreneur since the age of 19 (after leaving the school system at 18 before obtaining even the most basic diploma in the French education system), and have been a full-time web entrepreneur since 2010.

Having an entirely web-based business has freed me from having to be somewhere, from the "tyranny of place", which has allowed me to explore the world in depth: I have been travelling for around 6 months a year, every year since 2011.

In 2015, I left France to settle in London, then in 2018 I moved to Dubai, where I still live today. Living abroad for so long has given me a 1st-hand perspective on the various topics I'm going to cover in this Substack, as I'll have the opportunity to talk about.

Living in Dubai in particular has given me an excellent perspective on a state that positions itself as a provider of governance services with excellent value for money, and sees its residents as customers - a real disruption to the approach of traditional nation-states.

If you speak French, you can visit my Youtube channel, and my main blog, Des Livres Pour Changer de Vie to see a bit of what I do for a living.

Their English equivalents (with a much smaller audience): my Youtube channel in English, my blog Books That Can Change Your Life.

Stay tuned for the 1st article!