Explore every episode of the podcast The Network State Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #10 - The Crypto Islands | 28 Jan 2024 | 00:41:15 | |
Where do you legally set up your DAO or web3 organization? You might check out the Marshall Islands. They recently passed a new bill that's a model for global crypto regulation. The Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Act of 2023 has several major features: it allows DAOs to be set up in 30 days, limits DAO liability for open-source, and makes clear that governance tokens are not securities. Joining Balaji today are the architects of the DAO law as well as the founder of MIDAO (https://midao.org), an organization which allows anyone to set up a DAO in the Marshall Islands. OUTLINE 00:00 - The Marshall Islands DAO Law 02:00 - About the Marshall Islands 04:05 - Decentralized Autonomous Organization Act of 2022 09:17 - Visiting the Marshall Islands 10:48 - Overview of the DAO Law 20:56 - Legal Bridge Between Web2 and Web3 23:41 - Banking with Marshall Islands DAOs 27:09 - Updating the DAO Act 31:50 - Marshall Islands fully supports DAOs 34:23 - DAO Law is like the new Ship Registry 37:01 - Private Islands as Special Economic Zones 40:08 - Recap and overview of the DAO law VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/ojbWm9HqVj0 SOCIAL https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/30/marshall-islands-further-strengthens-law-that-made-daos-legal-entities/ https://midao.org https://thenetworkstate.com/podcast https://twitter.com/adamjgmiller https://twitter.com/balajis | |||
| #9 - Joe Lonsdale on Everything | 28 Jan 2024 | 00:59:34 | |
Joe Lonsdale is one of the most prominent investors in technology. He's the co-founder of Palantir, 8VC, Addepar, and the Cicero Institute — and one of Balaji's longtime friends. We have fun talking about education, longevity, space, and the little matter of completely reforming all governments with the internet. OUTLINE: 00:00 - How Silicon Valley got expensive 09:18 - Tech founders as philosophers 17:39 - 100% Democracy and .01% Democracy 28:51 - Internet Values vs Western Values 36:05 - How Academics Become Capitalists 46:40 - Red States, Purple States, Foreign States for AI 58:11 - Thoughts on Space, Robotics, Longevity VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ny93ZjlR93g SOCIAL https://ciceroinstitute.org https://www.8vc.com https://thenetworkstate.com/podcast https://twitter.com/JTLonsdale https://twitter.com/balajis | |||
| #8 - The Solana Phone | 28 Jan 2024 | 01:30:09 | |
Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, joins Balaji to talk about the new Solana Phone (https://solanamobile.com). The idea of the crypto phone is one where balances, encryption, privacy, and property rights are built into the very fabric of the operating system. Anatoly talks about how they did it. OUTLINE 0:06 - The Solana Phone 2:08 - Anatoly's Origin Story 6:03 - Solana Proof-of-History Algorithm 12:10 - Hardware Scales Global Consensus 16:13 - Different Chains Do Different Things 19:55 - A Self-Custody Phone 30:38 - Instant Bank Accounts 38:20 - Any OEM Can Make a Solana Phone 43:26 - Solana Phone Takes on Google and Apple 54:22 - 1% Share Changes the World 57:39 - Protocols Give Initial Userbase 1:01:18 - Starting Small Counterintuitive For Phone Companies 1:07:27 - PKI Interactions Become Routine 1:19:04 - What Anatoly's New Country Would Look Like VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/QIoXKWl4c4s SOCIAL https://solanamobile.com https://thenetworkstate.com/podcast https://twitter.com/solana https://twitter.com/balajis | |||
| #7 - Bryan Johnson's Blueprint for Longevity | 28 Jan 2024 | 01:19:34 | |
Bryan Johnson founded Braintree and sold it for $800M. Then he plowed the proceeds into eternal life. He turned himself into the world's most measured man, got completely jacked, wrote a book, and just launched the Blueprint store (https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com) for the world to copy what he's done. Now Balaji and Bryan talk about how we can extend lifespans through better technology. OUTLINE 0:00 - Bryan Doesn't Skip Leg Day 5:46 - Witnessing Brain Surgery 9:31 - Measuring the Brain 18:26 - How Bryan Got Into Longevity 22:27 - Bryan's Algorithm for Health 27:21 - Every Calorie Had to Fight for Its Life 32:16 - Measuring Intervention 37:26 - Blueprint for Nutrition 42:11 - Don't Die 48:55 - No One Paid Attention Till Proof of Workout 52:05 - The Five Stages 1:03:53 - What Do Ideologies Have to Offer 1:14:12 - Spoilers for Bryan's Book "Don't Die" VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/YvSX0rLyERs SOCIAL https://protocol.bryanjohnson.com/ https://linktr.ee/bryanjohnson__ https://www.amazon.com/DONT-DIE-Zero-ebook/dp/B0CNDDHR79 https://thenetworkstate.com/podcast https://twitter.com/bryan_johnson https://twitter.com/balajis | |||
| #6 - Chris Dixon on Read Write Own | 28 Jan 2024 | 01:13:38 | |
Read Write Own (readwriteown.com) is a new book by Chris Dixon, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and founder of the largest crypto fund in the world. It's an important work that is simultaneously the best crypto tutorial for newcomers and an accessible reference for experts. Balaji and Chris are long-time friends and worked together at a16z for years. Here they discuss Read Write Own and the state of crypto in 2024. OUTLINE 00:20 - Chris Introduces Read Write Own 05:04 - Why Books Are Harder than Essays 11:43 - Overview of Read Write Own 18:01 - The 2000s: Open RSS vs Proprietary Social 25:36 - Every Protocol Now Gets Global State 31:29 - Web3 Versions of Web2 Apps 35:10 - Proprietary Networks Are Locking Down 38:30 - Crypto Subsidizes Creatives 42:34 - Virtual Goods and Online Status 43:56 - Own Usernames Like Domain Names 47:35 - What Digital Ownership Means 48:32 - Tech Giants' Power and User Leverage. 58:08 - Collaborative Storytelling 01:01:07 - Digital Identity and Work with Web3 01:09:16 - Conclusion VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/_nIQztk5KWY SOCIAL https://readwriteown.com https://thenetworkstate.com/podcast https://twitter.com/cdixon https://twitter.com/balajis | |||
| #5 - India's Largest Exit | 30 Jun 2023 | 02:41:04 | |
The $16B acquisition of Flipkart was the largest in Indian tech history. Balaji speaks with Flipkart founder/CEO Binny Bansal on how he built the company from scratch when Indian startups weren't even a thing — and how Flipkart's rise parallels the rise of India itself. | |||
| #4 - The Winklevoss Twins and Balaji | 22 Jun 2023 | 00:50:03 | |
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss talk with Balaji about how Washington, DC is losing crypto, while other countries like the UAE and Japan are winning web3. OUTLINE 0:00 - I'm 6'5", 220, and there's two of me! 0:58 - Crypto flippening from America to Asia 7:15 - Crypto-friendly jurisdictions in the US: Wyoming, Tennessee 8:10 - The SEC is a failed regulator 18:45 - Crypto-friendly jurisdictions worldwide: Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, El Salvador 27:31 - Winklevosses expanding in India 33:25 - What comes out of crypto? 35:45 - Flashback to 2013 TechCrunch Disrupt 37:01 - Crypto and AI, without the buzzword bingo 44:14 - The Winklevoss city LINKS 1) Gemini: https://www.gemini.com/careers 2) Wyoming DAO law: https://legalnodes.com/article/wyoming-dao-llc 3) Tennessee DAO law: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/beyond-reasonable-daoubt-tennessee-s-limited-liability-statute-decentralized 4) UAE Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA): https://www.vara.ae/en 5) Japan Web3 support: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/04/06/japan-releases-web3-white-paper-to-promote-industry-growth-in-the-country 6) 2013 TechCrunch with Balaji, Naval, Winklevosses: https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/10/disrupt-sf-13-bitcoin-panel VIDEOYouTube: https://youtu.be/STbYujxjk1E SOCIALhttps://twitter.com/cameron https://twitter.com/tyler https://twitter.com/balajis https://thenetworkstate.com | |||
| #3 - The President of Palau | 24 Feb 2023 | 00:51:09 | |
The President of Palau and Balaji discuss how the tiny island country is becoming a digital leader, experimenting with everything from on-chain identity to drone delivery. Despite having less than 20,000 citizens, Palau is a full UN member state. Its path to diplomatic recognition holds many lessons for aspiring founders of new communities. Joining Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. in this chat is William Wang, founder of rns.id, the Palaun government’s crypto identity partner. OUTLINE 0:00 - Intro 2:03 - The Republic of Palau 6:18 - Palau's path to sovereignty 8:35 - How Palau is using crypto 10:40 - The President's background 16:51 - Returning to Palau 18:42 - What is RNS.ID? 25:08 - Palau's government structure 27:23 - Partnerships in Palau 34:15 - Diplomatic relations 36:29 - The advantages of small countries 42:00 - Palau's developing technologies 45:04 - Gaining diplomatic recognition 48:59 - Outro VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/3FuQvG2dmM4 CREDITS Editing: twitter.com/DholakiaJaydeep Images: twitter.com/elijah10t SOCIAL | |||
| #2 - Tobi Lütke & Kaz Nejatian on Shopify's Country-Sized Economy | 15 Feb 2023 | 02:07:21 | |
Tobi Lütke (Shopify Founder & CEO), Kaz Nejatian (Shopify COO), and Balaji review how Shopify rose from tiny startup to $180B+ global economy, with an annual GMV on par with the GDP of New Zealand. In the process they touch on Hayek, the Hanseatic League, merchant cavemen, the history of the corporation, and the optimal level of platform decentralization. OUTLINE LINKS VIDEO CREDITS SOCIAL | |||
| #1 - Vitalik Buterin on Starting New Countries, Upgrading Ethereum, and Improving Yourself | 07 Feb 2023 | 01:57:50 | |
A discussion between Vitalik Buterin and Balaji Srinivasan on starting new countries, improving yourself, and upgrading Ethereum. OUTLINE LINKS VIDEO CREDITS SOCIAL | |||
| #11 - Applied History with WhatIfAltHist | 19 Mar 2025 | 01:37:25 | |
Rudyard Lynch runs the popular YouTube channel WhatIfAltHist. We're both into applied history — namely, studying the past to forecast the future — and everything we spoke about fell under that rubric. We cover alchemy vs technology, left vs right, nature vs nurture, China vs America, communism vs wokeness, and (of course) networks vs states.Our overarching goal with the pod is to learn about the world to build new startup societies. If these ideas interest you, we're putting theory into practice at Network School, so do apply at https://ns.com. OUTLINE 00:00 - Intro to WhatifAltHist and counterfactual history 03:52 - The idea in alchemy: everyone is competing on vibes 07:12 - Nature/nurture = hardware/software 09:37 - Why the left often wins: equality builds scalable militaries 11:30 - The idea from Balaji that most influenced Rudyard: God, State, or Network? 13:25 - What is the most powerful force in the world: God, State, or Network 20:28 - Only 4% of Democrats marry Republicans 22:24 - The purpose of alchemy: how early alchemy lead to modern tech 33:25 - We have entered the age of the phrase 42:33 - The reading list: genetics books you should read 43:07 - Communism was based on economics denial, wokeness is genetics denial 50:49 - The Vitruvian Man: our moral responsibility to accelerate technology 57:42 - We are on the verge of global instability 1:20:43 - Internet community becomes physical community: The Network School (ns.com) 1:23:08 - Both Soviet and American empires were built on false premises 1:28:16 - Bitcoin is the strongest new identity 1:32:55 - The total military dominance of the Chinese drone armada LINKS https://youtube.com/@ns https://ns.com | |||
| #20 - Solana | 16 Jul 2025 | 00:21:55 | |
Solana has become by some measures the #1 new ecosystem for crypto devs. Why? We talk with Akshay and Lily on how Solana is creating Internet Capital Markets, enabling micropayments, and building Solana special economic zones like Forma. If you're building on Solana, you should come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #19 - Lightspeed India | 16 Jul 2025 | 01:55:52 | |
India is now #3 in global unicorns, and was the #1 fastest growing economy in the world from 2015-2025. How did that come about? I'm joined by Hemant Mohapatra at Lightspeed India to give a quick survey of Indian tech for people who know nothing about India. We cover biotech, genomics, space, California vs India, and the game plan for the global technologist. If you're interested in global technology, you should come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #18 - Jesse Pollak | 16 Jul 2025 | 00:53:50 | |
Jesse Pollak leads Coinbase Base, which enables 1 cent transactions on Ethereum. We discuss the motivation behind Base, monetization for creators & companies, local stablecoins, network states, and the Base Batches session at Network School. If you're building on Base, apply to Network School at https://ns.com. | |||
| #17 - Claire Lehmann | 16 Jul 2025 | 01:40:28 | |
Claire is the founder of Quillette.com, a digital magazine covering tech, culture, and centrist politics. We cover the rise of China, why Australia may indeed be this century's lucky country, and the realist take on American Empire. If you're interested in these topics, you'll be interested in Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #16 - Benedict Evans | 16 Jul 2025 | 02:03:51 | |
Benedict Evans is a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz and runs a newsletter with ~200k subscribers. We discuss smart glasses, amplified intelligence, robot dogs, the decentralization of media, and how AI is disrupting the very concept of user interfaces. If these ideas interest you, we're working on this kind of technology at Network School. You can apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #15 - Jeremy Howard | 16 Jul 2025 | 01:12:59 | |
Jeremy Howard is the creator of fast.ai, perhaps the best way to get a running start in modern deep learning. We talk about AI research, decentralizing education, and funding the world's dark talent. If you're interested in these ideas, especially regarding AI-first education, come to Network School. You can apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #14 - Vitalik on Ethereum | 16 Jul 2025 | 01:14:44 | |
Vitalik Buterin is the co-founder of Ethereum and Zuzalu. We had a fireside chat on the state of Ethereum, defi, prediction markets, AI, biotech, stablecoins, the Abundance Agenda, San Francisco, Zuzalu, and startup societies. If these ideas interest you, this discussion was held live at Network School. You can apply online at ns.com. | |||
| #13 - Jason Calacanis | 16 Jul 2025 | 01:01:09 | |
Jason Calacanis is the co-host of All-In and one of Silicon Valley's most successful angels. We discuss Network School, startup societies, voting with your feet, and strengthening democratic rights in a digital age. If these ideas interest you, we're building startup societies at Network School. You can apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #12 - Michael Saylor | 16 Jul 2025 | 01:07:09 | |
Michael Saylor is the creator of the first Bitcoin treasury company, Strategy. He joins Balaji to discuss his new Digital Assets Framework, where he unveils a plan for how the US becomes dominant in digital assets. If these ideas interest you, we're advancing digital assets at Network School. You can apply online at ns.com. | |||
| #21 - David Friedberg | 10 Jan 2026 | 01:42:05 | |
David Friedberg is co-host of the All-In podcast and CEO of Ohalo. We discuss the fractal frontier, why the network wins in the West while the state wins in the East, consequences of the New Deal, China's industrial dominance, and the case for American Freedom Cities. If you're interested in these ideas, you should come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #22 - Kamil Galeev | 11 Jan 2026 | 00:54:49 | |
Kamil Galeev is a writer specializing in the mechanics of historical power. We discuss why revolutions often lead to extreme regimentation, the centralization of the French monarchy, building parallel institutions, Stalin's bureaucratic camouflage, and the divergence of Russian and Chinese privatization. If you're interested in learning about and discussing these ideas, check out Network School at https://ns.com. | |||
| #27 - Luke Gromen | 14 Jan 2026 | 01:14:46 | |
Luke Gromen is the founder of Forest for the Trees (FFTT) and a macroeconomic analyst with three decades of experience identifying global economic bottlenecks. We cover the stock market as the US economy, the Chinese supply chain for American weapons, the Fed's video game versus the physical world, and BRICS exit from the dollar. If you're interested in these ideas, you'll enjoy Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #26 - Andrew Huberman | 13 Jan 2026 | 01:52:33 | |
Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology at Stanford and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. We explore the design of the Huberman Health Zone, focusing on cortisol regulation, force-sleep technology, and the necessity of offline deep work. If you're interested in decentralized health, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #25 - El Salvador's National Bitcoin Office | 13 Jan 2026 | 00:45:50 | |
Stacy Herbert is the Director of the National Bitcoin Office of El Salvador. We cover El Salvador's pivot from gang warfare to physical security, the new AI and robotics laws, President Bukele's tech founder mindset, and the logistics of building a startup country. If you're interested in startup societies, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #24 - Cory Levy Interviews Balaji | 13 Jan 2026 | 00:39:10 | |
Cory Levy is the founder of Z Fellows and an investor in early-stage technical founders. We cover the decline of legacy institutions, where talent should go, and the shift from a rules-based to a code-based order. If you're interested in building parallel institutions, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #23 - Cafe Cursor | 12 Jan 2026 | 00:20:14 | |
Ben Lang leads community at Cursor, where 1,000 users applied within days to host Cafe Cursor popups. We cover the logistics of cafe takeovers, printing the cloud to the land, Society-as-a-Service, and connecting the top 1% of power users. If you're interested in materializing digital communities on land, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #29 - Yat Siu | 14 Jan 2026 | 02:13:48 | |
Yat Siu is the co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, which has over 600 portfolio companies and billions in assets. We discuss why gaming is the first jurisdiction enforced by code, the geopolitical split between China and India, and the economic architecture of the Network State. If you're interested in digital property rights, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #28 - Timur Kuran | 14 Jan 2026 | 01:15:02 | |
Timur Kuran is a professor at Duke University and the originator of the concept preference falsification. We cover the mechanics of public lies, the falsification of US economic statistics, why Islamic law rejected the corporation, and how cryptographic verification replaces centralized authority. If you're interested in these ideas, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #30 - Dan Wang | 15 Jan 2026 | 01:26:47 | |
Dan Wang is the author of Breakneck and a Research Fellow at the Hoover History Lab at Stanford. We analyze why China has become the Engineering State while America has become the Lawyerly State. We cover the discontinuity between Mao and Deng, the "fake economy," the self-sabotage of both superpowers, and the debate on whether Bitcoin is the true rival to the CCP. If you're interested in these topics, you'll like Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #33 - Ben Horowitz | 16 Jan 2026 | 00:40:13 | |
Ben Horowitz is co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and the author of The Hard Thing About Hard Things. We cover why a16z left Delaware, the creation of Special Founder Zones, the politicization of US courts, and the migration from rule of law to rule of code. If these ideas interest you, check out Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #32 - Alex Gladstein | 15 Jan 2026 | 00:51:57 | |
Alex Gladstein is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation and author of Check Your Financial Privilege. We cover fiat devaluation as global taxation, why the IMF and World Bank aren’t what you think they are, and the shift from the currency of the state to the currency of the network. If you're interested in these ideas, you'll like Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #31 - The Don't Die Network State | Bryan Johnson | 15 Jan 2026 | 01:00:44 | |
Bryan Johnson is the most biologically characterized human in history. We cover the transition from the FDA era to large effect sizes, the potential of gene therapies, real-time brain measurement, and the roadmap for the Don't Die Network State. If you're interested in ideas like the Don't Die Network State, come to Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #35 - Noor Siddiqui | 16 Jan 2026 | 01:10:38 | |
Noor Siddiqui is the founder of Orchid, which offers whole genome screening for over 1,000 genetic diseases. We cover the transition from biological chance to choice, American public support for embryo screening, the historical stigma against routine procedures like heart transplants, and the new political divide of Primitivism versus Futurism. If you're interested in these ideas, you might be interested in Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #34 - Sean Neville | 16 Jan 2026 | 00:56:50 | |
Sean Neville co-founded Circle, the issuer of USDC, and is now the founder of Catena Labs. We cover the Centre Consortium joint venture between Circle and Coinbase, the rise of machine-native money, identity systems for AI agents, and the fusion of probabilistic AI with deterministic crypto. If you're interested in these ideas, you'll like Network School. Apply online at https://ns.com. | |||
| #36 - Arjun Khemani | 18 Feb 2026 | 00:26:54 | |
Arjun Khemani is an author, podcaster, and privacy evangelist. He previously worked at Naval Ravikant's Airchat. We discuss the moral imperative for Zcash to scale, the balance between transparency and privacy, and the potential for a Zcash Network State. If you are interested in the future of privacy, apply to Network School at https://ns.com/. | |||