Balaji Srinivasan’s Network School relocates to Kazakhstan after Malaysian authorities pull the plug

Balaji Srinivasan’s experimental education commune for techno-optimists lasted in Malaysia right up until the moment it didn’t. The former Coinbase CTO’s Network School, a residential program built around digital nomadism and startup culture, had its business license revoked by Malaysian authorities on July 21, 2026, forcing operations to cease the following day. Within 24 hours, Srinivasan had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. From Forest City to the steppe The Network School had been running out of Forest City, a largely unfinished mega-development in Johor, Malaysia, just across the strait from Singapore. The program operated around what Srinivasan calls the “Learn, Burn, Earn, Fun” model, with daily bounties and skill-building sessions. A social media video, which was deliberately vague about the school’s exact location, caught the attention of Malaysian social media users. What followed was public scrutiny, regulatory attention, and ultimately a crackdown that shuttered the doors. Malaysian authorities determined the school was violating local regulations and pulled the business license. ...