Economists often refer to voluntary trade between parties as “mutually beneficial,” or to use a more common expression, trade represents a “Win Win,” because the parties would only consent to a deal if they both believed it would make them better off. Blueseed, which hopes to enable new mutually beneficial business relationships between U.S. and foreign citizens, is injecting a third “Win” into the expression even before they secure a ship for their venture. As Timothy B. Lee recently wrote in a front-page article for Ars Technica, “Whether it succeeds or not, Blueseed is going to spark a conversation about America’s flawed immigration system.”
We encourage you to check out the most recent profile of the shipsteading startup, which is one of the most comprehensive to date. The article contains encouraging quotes from Greg Siskind, an independent immigration attorney who was asked by the online magazine for his opinion on Blueseed:
“What they’re proposing seems consistent with the law,” he told us. “They rightly have bypassed the most difficult part of the process, which is getting a work visa to come to the US. By moving all of the productive work offshore, it increases the odds that people will be able to do business in Silicon Valley.”
Siskind is also quoted expressing some concern over whether the immigration officials would hassle the residents of the Blueseed ship each time they came to land or returned to the ship. However, he feels this tendency would be checked by officials’ desire to avoid appearing unwelcoming to job-creating entrepreneurs. “I think [Blueseed will] be the poster child to demonstrate what’s wrong with the system,” says Siskind. In other words, Blueseed is engaging in highly effective political activism without overtly trying to do so.
Naturally, we hope Blueseed becomes a thriving and profitable business in the coming years. However, if the profit opportunity disappears due to immigration reform brought on by their efforts, we would certainly consider that a “Win” for seasteading as well.
