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Balaji

@balajis • 1,904,148 subscribers

Author of the Network State. Founder of the Network School.

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As the video below shows, we have nothing to hide. Men, women, and children from 40 countries held up their passports in the bright daylight and were fully cooperative. Malaysian authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that they checked 266 physical passports in our community, and "all those inspected possessed valid immigration documents."

As the video below shows, we have nothing to hide. Men, women, and children from 40 countries held up their passports in the bright daylight and were fully cooperative. Malaysian authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that they checked 266 physical passports in our community, and "all those inspected possessed valid immigration documents."

255,392 просмотров

We wanted flying cars. We got them with Chinese characters.

We wanted flying cars. We got them with Chinese characters.

3,881,761 просмотров

Just saw Civil War. Can’t believe they left this in.

Just saw Civil War. Can’t believe they left this in.

1,343,892 просмотров

Newsom admits they removed the drug addicts for Xi. “That's true because it's true.”

Newsom admits they removed the drug addicts for Xi. “That's true because it's true.”

237,216 просмотров

Here's a fun little clip with me and peter, cofounder of SuperAI. The conference is already sold out, but if you have tickets I may see you there.

Here's a fun little clip with me and peter, cofounder of SuperAI. The conference is already sold out, but if you have tickets I may see you there.

34,927 просмотров

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I am pleased to announce that a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Network School. Our new campus will become a haven for global techno-optimism, with expedited visas, streamlined redomiciliation, and active recruitment of talent.

I am pleased to announce that a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Network School. Our new campus will become a haven for global techno-optimism, with expedited visas, streamlined redomiciliation, and active recruitment of talent.

1,532,141 просмотров • 1 день назад

Should the global tech community continue investing in Malaysia? Given recent events, I raise this question respectfully for the consideration of Prime Minister Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (Anwar Ibrahim), for the people of Malaysia, and for our friends in the Malaysian tech community. The answer will be of interest to anyone in global tech that’s considering building, investing, or expanding in Malaysia, including executives at Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, founders of tech unicorns like Coinbase and Solana, and investors at the world’s largest venture capital funds like a16z and Polychain. As context, I am the former CTO of Coinbase and former General Partner at a16z. In October 2024, I opened a startup society called Network School in Malaysia, because I felt I’d been invited in by the government’s pro-tech policies. Specifically, the KL20 initiative set out Malaysia’s ambition of becoming a top 20 global tech hub. Their MDEC digital nomad visas and MM2H investor visas were created to facilitate an influx of global talent and capital. And the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone was announced to facilitate the flow of capital and talent between Malaysia and Singapore, where I live. When taken in combination with Malaysia’s datacenter buildout and its policy of welcoming visa-free visits for 98% of the world, it seemed like Malaysia might be a great place to build a global tech hub that was simultaneously inexpensive and easy to visit (especially for non-Westerners). And that’s what we did, by creating Network School. It’s an international tech community with its first node in Forest City, Malaysia. We picked Forest City because it had millions of square feet of empty space, because it was one hour from Singapore’s capital markets, and because it was within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Then, within 18 months, without a single penny of government money, we built Network School into a global attraction that brought thousands of engineers, investors, and builders from 70+ countries to learn technology, burn calories, earn online, and have fun, integrating with the local Malaysian economy along the way. Indeed, in terms of quantifiable contribution to the Malaysian economy, we’ve already invested 100M+ MYR in our campus to make it startup-friendly. For perspective, that’s about 4% of the budget of Johor, the Malaysian state where Forest City is located. We employ dozens of Malaysians directly and indirectly at every level from executive to staff. We’ve backed Malaysian tech startups like Collektr, hosted events for local teams like Superteam Malaysia, and are major customers of many local businesses like barbers, laundromats, and restaurants. We’ve also revitalized the multibillion-dollar Forest City project, causing millions of MYR in real estate appreciation. And, as the video below describes, we were on the cusp of a 500M+ MYR expansion to grow our community, as well as a global merit scholarship with my friend Amjad Masad of Replit. However, that emerging multi-billion dollar success story — which should rightfully have been hailed as a huge victory for the pro-tech policies of the Malaysian government — is at risk of being derailed by a fake story spread by an anonymous account named MP4P. In short: on the day before the July 11 Johor elections, MP4P posted an Instagram post falsely accusing Network School of harboring illegal aliens. The sensational accusations caused a tizzy in Malaysia, until Malaysian authorities came to our campus on July 14 to investigate. (I should note that the officers were very polite and professional.) After checking hundreds of physical passports from 40 countries, including dual passport holders, the authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that all travel documents were in order. During the process, we cooperated fully; in the thread below you can see a photo of the men, women, and children of Network School smiling and holding up their passports in the bright daylight. Our faces are shown and our names are known; we have nothing to hide. With that said, the process is the punishment. What MP4P did is very similar to the American crime of “swatting”, because MP4P created a hoax report of a serious threat, thereby forcing the Malaysian police to take time away from protecting the Malaysian people towards investigating a nonexistent issue. Moreover, this anonymous MP4P account has also called for Malaysia to boycott Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft…a move that would cost ordinary Malaysians thousands of jobs…even while MP4P’s own Instagram collaborators promote their Apple and Google apps! I mean, we aren’t talking about a credible accuser, but just someone screaming inconsistently at the top of their lungs on social media for traffic, an all-too-common phenomenon these days. Anyway, at this point, all further investment we were planning to make in Malaysia is on hold until we get sufficient assurance that such issues won’t recur. So are the investment plans of many of our friends, including the execs and investors at global tech firms that we brought to Forest City. Because to put it very plainly: we have invested 100M+ MYR in Malaysia, while creating jobs for dozens of Malaysians, and our faces and names are known. Our Malaysian executives and employees deserve the benefit of the doubt over anonymous internet trolls. There are two paths forward. In the first case, if Malaysia still wants continued global tech investment, if it wants to be a top 20 tech hub, if it wants us to revitalize Forest City, then we request an audience with the Prime Minister’s office to discuss the terms of a memorandum of understanding between Network School and the Malaysian government, similar to the document recently signed between the Solana Foundation and the Kazakhstan government. Specifics can of course be discussed, but we would publicly commit to abiding by all Malaysian laws (we already do) and respecting Malaysia’s sovereignty (never in question). In return, they’d get to know our friendly community, and realize that we actually chose Malaysia because we thought it was a great place to build a tech hub where engineers from the global South, investors from the West, and builders from Malaysia itself could meet new people, build cool things, and perhaps create millions of dollars in economic growth in the fullness of time. That vision of peace and trade, internationalism and entrepreneurialism, is still on the table. We aren’t asking for any money — just a meeting, to help restore confidence in Malaysia as an investable jurisdiction. Alternatively, if you don’t want our investment, or those of our colleagues at billion dollar funds and trillion dollar companies, we will of course respect your wishes, and reallocate our capital to other countries instead. Either way, we will remain friends and abide by your decision. Please let us know.

Should the global tech community continue investing in Malaysia? Given recent events, I raise this question respectfully for the consideration of Prime Minister Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (Anwar Ibrahim), for the people of Malaysia, and for our friends in the Malaysian tech community. The answer will be of interest to anyone in global tech that’s considering building, investing, or expanding in Malaysia, including executives at Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, founders of tech unicorns like Coinbase and Solana, and investors at the world’s largest venture capital funds like a16z and Polychain. As context, I am the former CTO of Coinbase and former General Partner at a16z. In October 2024, I opened a startup society called Network School in Malaysia, because I felt I’d been invited in by the government’s pro-tech policies. Specifically, the KL20 initiative set out Malaysia’s ambition of becoming a top 20 global tech hub. Their MDEC digital nomad visas and MM2H investor visas were created to facilitate an influx of global talent and capital. And the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone was announced to facilitate the flow of capital and talent between Malaysia and Singapore, where I live. When taken in combination with Malaysia’s datacenter buildout and its policy of welcoming visa-free visits for 98% of the world, it seemed like Malaysia might be a great place to build a global tech hub that was simultaneously inexpensive and easy to visit (especially for non-Westerners). And that’s what we did, by creating Network School. It’s an international tech community with its first node in Forest City, Malaysia. We picked Forest City because it had millions of square feet of empty space, because it was one hour from Singapore’s capital markets, and because it was within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Then, within 18 months, without a single penny of government money, we built Network School into a global attraction that brought thousands of engineers, investors, and builders from 70+ countries to learn technology, burn calories, earn online, and have fun, integrating with the local Malaysian economy along the way. Indeed, in terms of quantifiable contribution to the Malaysian economy, we’ve already invested 100M+ MYR in our campus to make it startup-friendly. For perspective, that’s about 4% of the budget of Johor, the Malaysian state where Forest City is located. We employ dozens of Malaysians directly and indirectly at every level from executive to staff. We’ve backed Malaysian tech startups like Collektr, hosted events for local teams like Superteam Malaysia, and are major customers of many local businesses like barbers, laundromats, and restaurants. We’ve also revitalized the multibillion-dollar Forest City project, causing millions of MYR in real estate appreciation. And, as the video below describes, we were on the cusp of a 500M+ MYR expansion to grow our community, as well as a global merit scholarship with my friend Amjad Masad of Replit. However, that emerging multi-billion dollar success story — which should rightfully have been hailed as a huge victory for the pro-tech policies of the Malaysian government — is at risk of being derailed by a fake story spread by an anonymous account named MP4P. In short: on the day before the July 11 Johor elections, MP4P posted an Instagram post falsely accusing Network School of harboring illegal aliens. The sensational accusations caused a tizzy in Malaysia, until Malaysian authorities came to our campus on July 14 to investigate. (I should note that the officers were very polite and professional.) After checking hundreds of physical passports from 40 countries, including dual passport holders, the authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that all travel documents were in order. During the process, we cooperated fully; in the thread below you can see a photo of the men, women, and children of Network School smiling and holding up their passports in the bright daylight. Our faces are shown and our names are known; we have nothing to hide. With that said, the process is the punishment. What MP4P did is very similar to the American crime of “swatting”, because MP4P created a hoax report of a serious threat, thereby forcing the Malaysian police to take time away from protecting the Malaysian people towards investigating a nonexistent issue. Moreover, this anonymous MP4P account has also called for Malaysia to boycott Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft…a move that would cost ordinary Malaysians thousands of jobs…even while MP4P’s own Instagram collaborators promote their Apple and Google apps! I mean, we aren’t talking about a credible accuser, but just someone screaming inconsistently at the top of their lungs on social media for traffic, an all-too-common phenomenon these days. Anyway, at this point, all further investment we were planning to make in Malaysia is on hold until we get sufficient assurance that such issues won’t recur. So are the investment plans of many of our friends, including the execs and investors at global tech firms that we brought to Forest City. Because to put it very plainly: we have invested 100M+ MYR in Malaysia, while creating jobs for dozens of Malaysians, and our faces and names are known. Our Malaysian executives and employees deserve the benefit of the doubt over anonymous internet trolls. There are two paths forward. In the first case, if Malaysia still wants continued global tech investment, if it wants to be a top 20 tech hub, if it wants us to revitalize Forest City, then we request an audience with the Prime Minister’s office to discuss the terms of a memorandum of understanding between Network School and the Malaysian government, similar to the document recently signed between the Solana Foundation and the Kazakhstan government. Specifics can of course be discussed, but we would publicly commit to abiding by all Malaysian laws (we already do) and respecting Malaysia’s sovereignty (never in question). In return, they’d get to know our friendly community, and realize that we actually chose Malaysia because we thought it was a great place to build a tech hub where engineers from the global South, investors from the West, and builders from Malaysia itself could meet new people, build cool things, and perhaps create millions of dollars in economic growth in the fullness of time. That vision of peace and trade, internationalism and entrepreneurialism, is still on the table. We aren’t asking for any money — just a meeting, to help restore confidence in Malaysia as an investable jurisdiction. Alternatively, if you don’t want our investment, or those of our colleagues at billion dollar funds and trillion dollar companies, we will of course respect your wishes, and reallocate our capital to other countries instead. Either way, we will remain friends and abide by your decision. Please let us know.

3,857,502 просмотров • 6 дней назад

We’re building Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley.

We’re building Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley.

2,770,678 просмотров • 13 дней назад

If you want to understand what a country that's ready for billion dollar investment looks like, look at Kazakhstan. Their memorandum of understanding with the Solana Foundation is a template for the future. It's a very strong contender for the next Network School node if Malaysia doesn't work out.

If you want to understand what a country that's ready for billion dollar investment looks like, look at Kazakhstan. Their memorandum of understanding with the Solana Foundation is a template for the future. It's a very strong contender for the next Network School node if Malaysia doesn't work out.

277,384 просмотров • 6 дней назад

Also, here's what we'd planned to announce before the current hubbub: the Network School / Replit Global Merit Scholarship, in partnership with Amjad Masad. To be clear, we'll definitely do this somewhere. The only question is if we'll be able to do it in Malaysia.

Also, here's what we'd planned to announce before the current hubbub: the Network School / Replit Global Merit Scholarship, in partnership with Amjad Masad. To be clear, we'll definitely do this somewhere. The only question is if we'll be able to do it in Malaysia.

276,633 просмотров • 6 дней назад

As the video below shows, we have nothing to hide. Men, women, and children from 40 countries held up their passports in the bright daylight and were fully cooperative. Malaysian authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that they checked 266 physical passports in our community, and "all those inspected possessed valid immigration documents."

As the video below shows, we have nothing to hide. Men, women, and children from 40 countries held up their passports in the bright daylight and were fully cooperative. Malaysian authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that they checked 266 physical passports in our community, and "all those inspected possessed valid immigration documents."

255,392 просмотров • 6 дней назад

This is what Chinese cities look like. We can deny that they are ahead. Or we can build startup cities to get back in the game.

This is what Chinese cities look like. We can deny that they are ahead. Or we can build startup cities to get back in the game.

9,686,133 просмотров • 2 лет назад

China builds a train station in 9 hours. California can’t build a bus shelter with 8 departments.

China builds a train station in 9 hours. California can’t build a bus shelter with 8 departments.

6,518,646 просмотров • 3 лет назад

China has many cities that specialize in specific products. Like Detroit for cars, they have Cixi for hair dryers, Wenzhou for lighters, and Ningbo for home appliances. We’re familiar with this idea for cultural sectors, like NYC/Shanghai for finance, Silicon Valley/Shenzhen for tech, DC/Beijing for politics, and Hollywood/Hengdian for movies. But of course spatial concentration works for many industries. We’ve written about this already for drone zones and biotech boroughs, but specializing around an *existing* sector is an interesting concept for startup societies and network states.

China has many cities that specialize in specific products. Like Detroit for cars, they have Cixi for hair dryers, Wenzhou for lighters, and Ningbo for home appliances. We’re familiar with this idea for cultural sectors, like NYC/Shanghai for finance, Silicon Valley/Shenzhen for tech, DC/Beijing for politics, and Hollywood/Hengdian for movies. But of course spatial concentration works for many industries. We’ve written about this already for drone zones and biotech boroughs, but specializing around an existing sector is an interesting concept for startup societies and network states.

919,379 просмотров • 7 месяцев назад

I like Batya Ungar-Sargon but this is incorrect. If it was just a matter of price, then maybe tariffs could work. Just bring those jobs home! Except China isn't cheap labor anymore. They're highly skilled. And skill doesn't easily come home. Tim Cook explained this in 2018:

I like Batya Ungar-Sargon but this is incorrect. If it was just a matter of price, then maybe tariffs could work. Just bring those jobs home! Except China isn't cheap labor anymore. They're highly skilled. And skill doesn't easily come home. Tim Cook explained this in 2018:

1,613,617 просмотров • 1 год назад

The three eras of crypto. Proof of work: 2009-2017 Programmability: 2017-2025 Privacy: 2025-203X

The three eras of crypto. Proof of work: 2009-2017 Programmability: 2017-2025 Privacy: 2025-203X

803,894 просмотров • 8 месяцев назад

Billions of dollars. Millions of followers. Thousands of attendees. Half a dozen governments. And one idea whose time has come.

Billions of dollars. Millions of followers. Thousands of attendees. Half a dozen governments. And one idea whose time has come.

874,226 просмотров • 9 месяцев назад

Anyone. Anywhere. $100k in funding. Global meritocracy is finally here.

Anyone. Anywhere. $100k in funding. Global meritocracy is finally here.

1,392,686 просмотров • 1 год назад

I just burned a million to tell you they're printing trillions.

I just burned a million to tell you they're printing trillions.

3,317,389 просмотров • 3 лет назад

The choice is clear. It’s Zcash or communism.

The choice is clear. It’s Zcash or communism.

301,749 просмотров • 5 месяцев назад

AMERICA AND BITCOIN A historical speech. Here is Donald Trump's full speech at the Bitcoin Conference with timestamps and transcript. TIMESTAMPS 1:36 - Shoutouts to David Bailey, Winklevosses, Michael Saylor, Cathie Wood, Ron Paul and Rand Paul, Vivek, and the victims of the July 13 assassination attempt. 7:00 - How Bitcoin rose from an idea on an anonymous message board to the 9th most valuable asset in the world. 10:00 - America is a nation in decline, and we cannot let China dominate Bitcoin. The US must lead in tech, science, manufacturing, AI, space, and power generation. 14:50 - Bitcoin will be mined, minted, and made in the USA. If it goes to the moon, it'll get there from America. 16:20 - How the Biden/Harris administration has waged war on crypto for the last three and a half years, by choking off banking support. 22:00 - The Biden/Harris administration is against Bitcoin, because it stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government coercion and control. 25:00 - The day Trump takes the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren's anti-crypto crusade will be done. He will fire Gary Gensler on day one! 27:57 - Trump commits to immediately shutting down Operation Chokepoint 2.0, and creating a Bitcoin and Crypto Presidential Advisory Council. In 100 days, fair rules written by people who want crypto to thrive. 29:28 - There will never be a CBDC. And he will defend the right to self-custody, freedom of transaction, freedom of association, and freedom of speech. 30:25 - He'll support USD stablecoins and global savings in Bitcoin. And he recognizes that the behavior of the current US government is the threat to the dollar, not Bitcoin. 35:30 - Biden/Harris has presided over the biggest inflation in the history of America. 38:30 - Inflation destroyed Weimar Germany. Bitcoiners understood inflation better than anyone else. Inflation is stealth taxation, a national disgrace. 43:30 - Make the US the lowest cost energy producer in the world, given its natural resources, and turn it into a Bitcoin mining powerhouse. Americans will not need to move to China. 44:20 - The US government has violated the cardinal rule: never sell your Bitcoin. He will stop the US government from selling its Bitcoin. This will serve as the core of the strategic national Bitcoin stockpile. 46:00 - He will commute the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht to time served. 46:26 - He commits to becoming the pro-innovation, pro-Bitcoin, and pro-tech president that America deserves. And will make America and Bitcoin stronger, richer, freer, and greater than ever before. Full transcript in next post. 👇

AMERICA AND BITCOIN A historical speech. Here is Donald Trump's full speech at the Bitcoin Conference with timestamps and transcript. TIMESTAMPS 1:36 - Shoutouts to David Bailey, Winklevosses, Michael Saylor, Cathie Wood, Ron Paul and Rand Paul, Vivek, and the victims of the July 13 assassination attempt. 7:00 - How Bitcoin rose from an idea on an anonymous message board to the 9th most valuable asset in the world. 10:00 - America is a nation in decline, and we cannot let China dominate Bitcoin. The US must lead in tech, science, manufacturing, AI, space, and power generation. 14:50 - Bitcoin will be mined, minted, and made in the USA. If it goes to the moon, it'll get there from America. 16:20 - How the Biden/Harris administration has waged war on crypto for the last three and a half years, by choking off banking support. 22:00 - The Biden/Harris administration is against Bitcoin, because it stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government coercion and control. 25:00 - The day Trump takes the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren's anti-crypto crusade will be done. He will fire Gary Gensler on day one! 27:57 - Trump commits to immediately shutting down Operation Chokepoint 2.0, and creating a Bitcoin and Crypto Presidential Advisory Council. In 100 days, fair rules written by people who want crypto to thrive. 29:28 - There will never be a CBDC. And he will defend the right to self-custody, freedom of transaction, freedom of association, and freedom of speech. 30:25 - He'll support USD stablecoins and global savings in Bitcoin. And he recognizes that the behavior of the current US government is the threat to the dollar, not Bitcoin. 35:30 - Biden/Harris has presided over the biggest inflation in the history of America. 38:30 - Inflation destroyed Weimar Germany. Bitcoiners understood inflation better than anyone else. Inflation is stealth taxation, a national disgrace. 43:30 - Make the US the lowest cost energy producer in the world, given its natural resources, and turn it into a Bitcoin mining powerhouse. Americans will not need to move to China. 44:20 - The US government has violated the cardinal rule: never sell your Bitcoin. He will stop the US government from selling its Bitcoin. This will serve as the core of the strategic national Bitcoin stockpile. 46:00 - He will commute the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht to time served. 46:26 - He commits to becoming the pro-innovation, pro-Bitcoin, and pro-tech president that America deserves. And will make America and Bitcoin stronger, richer, freer, and greater than ever before. Full transcript in next post. 👇

1,287,802 просмотров • 2 лет назад

Introducing the Network State Podcast. The first episode features me and vitalik.eth. We talk about starting new countries, upgrading Ethereum, and improving yourself!

Introducing the Network State Podcast. The first episode features me and vitalik.eth. We talk about starting new countries, upgrading Ethereum, and improving yourself!

1,961,878 просмотров • 3 лет назад

Tech guys don't use Google search anymore. It's not just censored. It just sucks. Perplexity is better. And you can set it as default. Here's how to fix your search in thirty seconds:

Tech guys don't use Google search anymore. It's not just censored. It just sucks. Perplexity is better. And you can set it as default. Here's how to fix your search in thirty seconds:

1,124,666 просмотров • 2 лет назад

When the head of BIS says “central banks will have absolute control” over all uses of money, that’s not democracy. That’s when Keynesianism finally drops the mask and becomes flat out communism: total centralized control of all resources by unelected bureaucrats. Listen:

When the head of BIS says “central banks will have absolute control” over all uses of money, that’s not democracy. That’s when Keynesianism finally drops the mask and becomes flat out communism: total centralized control of all resources by unelected bureaucrats. Listen:

1,673,689 просмотров • 3 лет назад