Balaji’s Network School turns to Kazakhstan amid Malaysia setbackThe agreement gives Balaji Srinivasan’s tech community a potential new base as Malaysian authorities clamp down on the Network School over alleged licensing breaches.
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Balaji Srinivasan’s Network School, a community aimed at digital nomads, is planning to establish a new campus in Kazakhstan after its Malaysian Forest City campus had its business license revoked. This followed allegations of premises-use violations by the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) in Malaysia. As part of this move, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, Zhaslan Madiyev, and Srinivasan to open the first Network School campus in Kazakhstan.
The revocation of the business license led the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to initiate steps to revoke the Malaysia Digital status of NSO Malaysia, the company operating the Network School. This status had granted various incentives including tax breaks and employment privileges. The Johor State Chief Minister, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, called for continued investigations into possible immigration law violations by the Network School, stressing the importance of safeguarding the nation’s strategic border areas.
Balaji Srinivasan denied claims that the Network School was shutting down, explaining that they had received two notices—one about changing the wording on a sign, and another relating to a coworking area combining two units with differing licenses. He asserted that there was a remedial period to address these issues and that the school’s members remained unaffected. The Network School’s move to Kazakhstan aligns with the country’s push to become a technology hub, including the development of Central Asia’s first “crypto city.”
This development is viewed as a validation of the “network state” concept, where groups of talent and capital negotiate collectively with states to secure favorable conditions. Dragonfly Capital’s managing partner Haseeb Qureshi noted that the Malaysian regulatory issues have prompted the Network School to seek better terms in Kazakhstan, aiming to create a global hub for techno-optimism with streamlined visa and relocation processes.