what is network school?

in short: learn. burn. earn. fun.

network school is a physical community of builders, creators, and founders living together on the network school island in malaysia — specifically in the singapore–johor special economic zone, just across the water from singapore. network school balaji is the short way people search for it: founded by balaji srinivasan, former general partner at andreessen horowitz and cto of coinbase, and the author of the network state. if you are researching network school malaysia for 2026, this is the honest walkthrough i wish i had before i showed up.

the core philosophy

four words: learn. burn. earn. fun.

learn: weekly talks and workshops with founders and builders in the community. hackathons, book clubs, and people exploring ai and crypto, building on solana, openclaw, and claude code. past speakers include vitalik buterin, bryan johnson, and jesse pollak.

burn: a 24/7 gym, personal trainers, group workouts, fitness classes, and sports tournaments. three nutritious meals a day.

earn: a task-based earning platform where you complete real work, such as development, design, and content creation, and get paid in cryptocurrency.

fun: bonfires, trips to singapore, community events, and parties. the kind of spontaneous social life most people have not experienced since college.

all-inclusive.

how much does network school cost? (network school malaysia fees)

this is the question everyone asks first — especially if you searched network school malaysia fees — so let me address it up front.

$1,500 per month. this includes accommodation, three meals a day, a fully equipped gym, all events, a coworking space, and high-speed wi-fi. that is the all-in number for living on the network school island in malaysia; no separate housing hunt, meal plan, or gym membership on top.

(after the 25% discount, you pay $1,125 per month.)

there is also a network school fellowship path for people who want deeper involvement beyond a short stay — apply through the same site and see what cohort options are open for network school 2026.

you are not just paying for a place to stay. you are stepping into an environment designed for focused building, meaningful connections, and consistent growth. everything is set up so you can spend less time worrying about logistics and more time actually creating, learning, and collaborating with people who are on the same path.

who is network school for?

network school serves a specific kind of person:

remote workers: who can work from anywhere but are tired of doing it alone.

founders: building startups who want to be surrounded by other builders.

indie hackers (like me): who are shipping, experimenting, and figuring things out in public.

content creators: looking for both a community and a content engine.

engineers and developers who want to build in crypto, ai, and frontier tech.

digital nomads: who are done drifting and want a sense of belonging.

families: looking for a different way to raise kids while doing meaningful work.

personal trainers, event organizers, and community builders: who thrive in collaborative environments.

what you need: alignment with the values of building, learning, and mutual respect.

the family angle: what no one tells you about bringing kids

here is the part most articles about network school skip: yes, you can bring your kids during your stay at network school.

i do not have a family, so i cannot share firsthand details about this. however, you can find all the information here: ns.com/wiki

the bigger picture: network school balaji and the network state

network school is not just another community; through network school balaji's long-term vision, it has a clear roadmap.

balaji srinivasan laid it out in five stages:

v1 (done): 128 people, 90 days, proof of concept

v2 (done): 256 members, a full-year program

v3 (now): a permanent campus nearby for 1,024+ people

v4: open-source prefab blueprints so anyone can recreate this anywhere

v5: members launch their own startup societies, potentially funded by network school

the idea is simple but ambitious: bootstrap a startup society that can bootstrap other startup societies.

this is also the first real step toward what he calls a network state, an internet-first community that starts online, builds a physical base, and eventually aims for real-world recognition.

governments from singapore, abu dhabi, dubai, and el salvador have already shown interest.

the network state conference 2025 at marina bay sands drew more than 8,000 registrations, with speakers such as brian armstrong, ben horowitz, andrew huberman, and vitalik buterin. for network school 2026, the campus is still expanding — more people, more permanence, same island energy.

whether or not the network state idea achieves diplomatic recognition, one thing is clear:

the community is real.

the network school island is real.

the 256 people living there right now are real.

and the momentum is undeniable.

how to apply to network school

the application process is straightforward:

fill out the application; it takes a few minutes.

if accepted, choose your start date (new members join on the 1st of each month).

show up and start building.

connect with me on x if you have any questions.

my honest take & network school reviews from living there

before i came, i read every network school reviews thread i could find — including network school reddit threads. some of it was useful. a lot of it was secondhand. this section is my firsthand version after living on campus.

i am not going to pretend network school is some perfect utopia. it is a startup, and startups are messy. things are still being built, fixed, and figured out in real time.

but here is what actually matters. in just a few months, i have met more ambitious, kind, and genuinely interesting people than i did in years. that changes you. your standards go up. your thinking sharpens. your work gets better without you even forcing it.

this place is honestly one of the craziest environments i have ever been in. people from 80+ countries, different age groups, and completely different backgrounds. as an introvert, that kind of exposure feels different. it pushes you out of your bubble whether you like it or not.

i have had conversations with a film producer, an ai researcher, a former australian mayor, creators with millions of followers, crypto builders, and more. you do not get that kind of density of people easily — especially not on a network school island in malaysia where everyone opted into the same experiment.

my biggest takeaway is simple. being around people who are building forces you to level up without even realizing it. that energy is why i shipped scrolllaunch.com — a product hunt alternative for indie makers and saas founders to launch, climb weekly rankings, and get seen by early adopters.

so if you are comparing network school reviews online, weighing network school malaysia fees, or debating a network school fellowship for network school 2026: for me, it is totally worth it.