I do think this is a terrible idea, but then again it is one of the benefits of having separate states where each can experiment with ideas, sometimes very stra

I do think this is a terrible idea, but then again it is one of the benefits of having separate states where each can experiment with ideas, sometimes very strange or ill-advised ideas. They are reminiscent of company towns, and I would predict they will become even worse. Modern "smart cities" are even more than just owning and profiting off of everything, it is about data and analytics and techno-utopians. I would predict that all of the issues about surveillance and control that are appearing in our society would be amplified on a small scale. It has become fashionable for rich technologists to believe they can solve world issues with technology, themselves as masters. This attempt to try to make a perfect society could just make a perfect dystopian nightmare. They aren't even pretending it is democratic; "the company or firm applying for the zone would have significant say over who would sit on that board". This is a regression of hundreds of years in political theory and development.