Balaji’s Network State Becomes a Reality in Singapore

Balaji Srinivasan, a renowned crypto and Silicon Valley investor, has announced a new pop-up city in Singapore dubbed “The Network School.”

It’s a 90-day experiment utilizing the core concepts in his book, the Network State, which offers a blueprint on how to build the successors to nation-states in a world of transformational and emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies and AI.

“I’ve been thinking about how to empower the dark talent of the world,” Balaji wrote on Aug. 16 on X, in reference to his father, a man born in a “desperately poor country but who was able to make something of himself with the right opportunity.”

To do so, the Network School aims to “articulate a vision of peace, trade, internationalism, and technology, even as the rest of the world talks about war, trade war, nationalism, and statism,” he wrote.

A network state is a social network with a series of features, such as a sense of national consciousness, an integrated cryptocurrency, a consensual government limited by a social smart contract, and a physical territory with the potential to receive diplomatic recognition.

The idea has been supported by crypto heavyweights like Vitalik Buterin, who likes the notion of network states built around blockchain.

Learn, Burn, Earn, and Fun

Four concepts form the backbone of the Network School.

Learn is an alternative to the U.S. education system, which Balaji says is broken. “You pay $100k+ for a four-year degree, and then budget nothing for maintenance over the course of your life,” he wrote. “It’s like paying $100k+ for a new car and budgeting nothing for maintenance.”

Instead, students are presented with a problem of the day. When solved, they are awarded a crypto-credential as a free, non-transferable NFT that establishes “proof-of-learn.” The more credentials students accumulate, the larger their “crypto resume,” which will allegedly prove what they know.

Burn refers to a blueprint created with Bryan Johnson, the “anti-aging” tech millionaire who has made his life a crusade against death. Every member gets a daily workout slot with a semi-personal trainer, and people get fitted with exercise, eating, and sleeping regimes.

The earn segment refers to how students will earn a living – through cryptocurrency.

There will be crypto prizes of the day for open source projects, AI content creation, and microtasks, along with $1,000 daily bounties for the project’s duration. Students will also get access to help with career choices, visa issues, funding for startups, and other mentorships.

Lastly, fun is the unstructured side of the Network School. It aims to offer a place for like-minded students to come together and share social and leisure activities.

Focus On ‘Dark Talent’

Balaji is known for his anti-establishment stance, and those are the people he is trying to attract.

“The more respect you have for legacy institutions, and the more respect they have for you, the less suitable you’ll be as an applicant,” he wrote.

The three primary cohorts the school aims to attract are writers, artists, influencers, and filmmakers; trainers, athletes, coaches, and clinicians; and founders, engineers, designers, and investors.

Applications are open, with the 90-day pop-up running from Sept. 23 to Dec. 23.