If you've been following the blockchain world, you know that the competition between platforms like Solana and Ethereum isn't just about transaction speeds or fees—it's evolving into something much bigger, like building entire network states. These are essentially new kinds of societies powered by crypto, where people can create communities with their own rules, economies, and even physical locations. Recently, at Balaji Srinivasan's Network State Conference, one key takeaway stood out: Solana seems to be pulling ahead of Ethereum in this space, at least for now.

The insight comes from Niklas Anzinger, founder of Infinita City, who shared his thoughts in a recent X thread. He points out that Ethereum kicked things off strong with Vitalik Buterin's Zuzalu popup city experiment back in 2023. Zuzalu was a temporary community in Montenegro where crypto enthusiasts lived and worked together, testing ideas for decentralized societies. It was groundbreaking and inspired a wave of similar projects.

But according to Anzinger, many Ethereum-based initiatives have either faded, underperformed, or scaled back their ambitions over the past year. It's not that Ethereum is dead—far from it—but the energy has shifted. On the flip side, Solana is buzzing with activity. Take Forma City, for example, which announced impressive government deals to make their vision a reality. Then there's IPE City, which, while not purely Solana-native, shares a lot of overlap with the ecosystem and positioned itself as a major contender.

Anzinger's own project, Infinita City, just launched Lives Money on Solana—a token that's likely aimed at powering longevity-focused bio-accelerations in their network city. And Venture Launch is set to join Prospera in Honduras soon, adding more fuel to Solana's fire. Prospera is a real-world special economic zone that's crypto-friendly, making it a hotspot for these experiments.

What's refreshing here is the lack of tribalism. Anzinger emphasizes that the community is collaborative and positive-sum, meaning everyone wins when innovation thrives, regardless of the blockchain. This isn't about bashing Ethereum; it's an encouragement for healthy competition to push the whole space forward.

Diving deeper into the replies, Ivan from Nomadz highlighted even more Solana-powered startup societies. There's Superteam's 10+ Founders Villas, the Solana Temple event that hosted over 100 people for a month, MTN DAO with eight programs in the US, and Island DAO's cohorts in Greece and Thailand. It's clear Solana's ecosystem is fostering a ton of real-world gatherings and experiments.

For meme token enthusiasts, this matters because Solana has become a hotbed for memes like $BONK or $WIF, which often tie into community-driven narratives. Network states could amplify that by creating physical and digital spaces where meme cultures evolve into sustainable economies. If Solana keeps this momentum, it might attract more developers and users, boosting the visibility and value of its meme tokens.

Overall, this thread is a wake-up call for the blockchain community. Solana's speed and low costs are translating into tangible progress in building the future of decentralized societies. Ethereum still has its strengths, like its massive developer base, but it might need to reignite that experimental spark to catch up. Keep an eye on these projects—they could redefine how we think about communities in the crypto era.