• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

2

A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'

3

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

1

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

2

A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'

3

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
TechData Sheet

What We Can Learn from the E-Saga of Estonia

By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 27, 2017, 10:17 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Fortune has seen the future, and it is Estonia.

Or, as they like to call themselves, “e-Stonia.”

This tiny Baltic country, you see, has traveled the fascinating path from backward Soviet republic to bold digital leader, all in the span of its brief post-Cold War history. Fortune’s intrepid European correspondent Vivienne Walt, who has documented Amazon’s efforts in India and Unilever’s sojourn on planet Earth, traveled to Tallinn, the Estonian capital, and brought back a fascinating account of what the rest of us ought to be doing from an e-civics perspective.

Like African nations with poor analog phone systems that skipped right to mobile, Estonia had something of a blank slate when it set up its systems of governance. So the country of 1.3 million was able to start from scratch. Or, as Walt writes, the small nation, nestled between Latvia and Russia, is “a fast-forward example of extreme digital living.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter, where this essay originally appeared.

In Estonia, e-signatures have equal weight to written ones. That means the country is able to eliminate mounds of paperwork. All citizens file their taxes online. No dog-eared Social Security cards for Estonians: They have digital ID cards, useful for things like keeping medical records in the cloud. Estonia even offers a form of e-residency for foreigners wanting to set up businesses there, not unlike Delaware’s incorporation benefits in the United States.

These examples are the tip of the iceberg of a great Fortune yarn. I can see it being the kind of story that business and government leaders look back on 20 years from now and say, ‘Remember how in that gripping Fortune story only little Estonia was doing the things we all do now?’ Please read it and share it to your e-heart’s delight.

About the Author
By Adam Lashinsky
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

FIFA’s plan to raise billions from investors is sparking a backlash—one insider says Europe is angry because it could change soccer’s balance of power
Startups & VentureFifa
FIFA’s plan to raise billions from investors is sparking a backlash—one insider says Europe is angry because it could change soccer’s balance of power
By Allie GarfinkleJuly 28, 2026
2 hours ago
TSMC and Tencent break into the top 100 of the Fortune Global 500 list, as Asia rides the AI boom
Asiafortune global 500
TSMC and Tencent break into the top 100 of the Fortune Global 500 list, as Asia rides the AI boom
By Angelica AngJuly 28, 2026
5 hours ago
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says AI is killing tasks not jobs—and the white-collar bloodbath narrative gets the future of work ‘exactly backwards’
Future of WorkTech
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says AI is killing tasks not jobs—and the white-collar bloodbath narrative gets the future of work ‘exactly backwards’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 28, 2026
6 hours ago
Coinbase and Robinhood are locked in a heated battle ahead of Q2 earnings—but only one is being called the industry’s ‘first hyperscaler’
CryptoRobinhood
Coinbase and Robinhood are locked in a heated battle ahead of Q2 earnings—but only one is being called the industry’s ‘first hyperscaler’
By Jeff John RobertsJuly 28, 2026
6 hours ago
Photo of Trump and Xi Jinping
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump administration weighs spending nearly half a billion to counter China’s global influence after DOGE cuts halted some initiatives
By The Associated Press and Matthew LeeJuly 28, 2026
6 hours ago
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on July 24, 2026 in New York.
Big TechWall Street
‘A lot of panic around the AI investment’: How a chip slump is driving the Nasdaq toward correction 
By Eva RoytburgJuly 28, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
C-Suite
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
Success
A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
By Sydney LakeJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 28, 2026
15 hours ago
LeBron James took a pay cut to maybe live in New York and commute to Philly by chopper, risking double taxation as NYC also tries to ban helicopters
Real Estate
LeBron James took a pay cut to maybe live in New York and commute to Philly by chopper, risking double taxation as NYC also tries to ban helicopters
By Catherina GioinoJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
The brutal math behind Gen Z's lonely weekends: $15 drinks are driving a generational 'spending hangover'
Economy
The brutal math behind Gen Z's lonely weekends: $15 drinks are driving a generational 'spending hangover'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 28, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.