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Balaji's 'Network School' Loses Malaysia — Now Pivoting to Kazakhstan. Here's What That Means for the Network State Movement

(72 days ago) · 1 source · Summarized by CryptoBipto

Balaji Srinivasan's Network School, a key experiment in the 'network state' concept, is shifting its focus to Kazakhstan after encountering setbacks in Malaysia. The project, which aims to build physical communities organized around digital-first governance principles, is seeking a more receptive regulatory environment. This pivot highlights both the challenges and persistence of efforts to create crypto-aligned sovereign communities.

WHY IT MATTERS

Imagine a group of people who met online deciding they want to build an actual town together, with their own rules and schools — kind of like founding a new community from scratch, but organized through the internet first. That's roughly what a 'network state' is trying to be. Balaji Srinivasan, a well-known figure in crypto, has been trying to make this real through his 'Network School' project. When Malaysia didn't work out, he turned to Kazakhstan. This matters because it shows how hard it is to take crypto's big ideas — decentralization, community governance — and make them work in the real world, where you still need permission from existing governments. It's a test case for whether crypto can move beyond finance and into how people actually live and organize.

Balaji Srinivasan, the former Coinbase CTO and prominent crypto thought leader, has been one of the most vocal advocates for 'network states' — the idea that online communities can eventually acquire physical territory and function as quasi-sovereign entities.

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Network StatesCrypto GovernanceKazakhstanBalaji SrinivasanInstitutional Adoption