Malaysia Shuts Down Srinivasan's Network School
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- Malaysia's government ordered Network School to shut down its campus due to licensing issues, according to the WSJ.
- Network School, housed in an abandoned Malaysian hotel, was described by the WSJ as "part tech incubator, part self-improvement retreat" with attendees complaining about moldy rooms and a lack of women and nightlife.
- Balaji Srinivasan apparently renounced his US citizenship in 2023, and after the WSJ reached out, published an X post declaring himself "a proud Singaporean" and calling the upcoming coverage a "hit piece."
- The Network School is billed as the first step in a seven-stage plan from Srinivasan's book "The Network State" to "start a new country," rooted in his stated belief that the United States is in irreversible decline.
- Srinivasan has already announced a new campus agreement in Kazakhstan to replace the Malaysian location, suggesting the project will continue despite the shutdown.
Why it matters: Srinivasan's seven-stage "Network State" blueprint loses its first physical campus after Malaysia pulled the license, but he already secured a Kazakhstan replacement. His 2023 renunciation of US citizenship and new claim of Singaporean nationality show how mobile his identity — and the project — has become as regulators force it across borders.
