Malaysia Abruptly Shuts Down 'School for the Rich', Here's Why

The Malaysian government has reportedly shut down Network School, a startup-focused mentoring community founded by wealthy entrepreneur and technology investor Balaji Srinivasan. According to Datawallet, Srinivasan’s wealth in 2026 was estimated between US$200 million and US$500 million (Rp3.5 trillion to Rp8.9 trillion).

The closure of the school, created by the wealthy investor, was due to licensing issues. Citing TechCrunch, which referenced a report by The Wall Street Journal, Network School had positioned itself as a frontier community for techno-optimists.

The programme operated out of a derelict hotel in Malaysia and combined the concept of a technology incubator with a self-development retreat. Network School was born from Srinivasan’s belief that the United States is in irreversible decline. He once stated that his goal was to ‘start a new country’.

The programme was described as the first step in a seven-stage plan outlined by Srinivasan in his book, The Network State, to build a new society. The Wall Street Journal depicted Network School as a hybrid between a tech incubator and a self-development retreat. However, some participants complained about mouldy rooms, a lack of female attendees, and almost no nightlife at the location.

After receiving questions from The Wall Street Journal, Srinivasan posted a lengthy statement on X, describing himself as a proud Singaporean citizen and accusing the newspaper of crafting a ‘hit piece’ designed to make him look like an eccentric rather than an early adopter. The report also noted that Srinivasan had renounced his US citizenship in 2023.

Although the Network School campus in Malaysia had to be closed due to licensing problems, Srinivasan recently announced that he has reached an agreement to open a new campus in Kazakhstan.