Malaysia Orders Balaji Srinivasan's Network School Shut Over Licensing Issues as Kazakhstan Campus Emerges
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 2
Malaysia Orders Balaji Srinivasan's Network School Shut Over Licensing Issues as Kazakhstan Campus Emerges
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 2
Summary
Malaysian authorities ordered the Network School to close, forcing a shutdown of Balaji Srinivasan’s startup-focused community at its campus in an abandoned hotel.
Licensing problems triggered the order, hitting a project Srinivasan has cast as the first step in his seven-stage “Network State” plan to build a new society.
The Wall Street Journal described the site as part tech incubator, part self-improvement retreat, while attendees complained about moldy rooms and a lack of women and nightlife.
Srinivasan, who reportedly renounced U.S. citizenship in 2023, called the Journal’s reporting a “hit piece” and said on X he is now “a proud Singaporean.”
Even as the Malaysian campus closes, Srinivasan recently announced an agreement to open a new Network School campus in Kazakhstan.