Just visited something pretty wild - this experimental community called Network School that Balaji Srinivasan built in Forest City, Malaysia. And yeah, the whole setup is way more interesting than it sounds at first.

So here's the thing: most people hear 'Network School' and think it's some prestigious academy, right? But it's actually more like a gathering spot for Web3 builders who got tired of the rat race. The catch? It costs 1500 USD monthly for accommodation, meals, gym access, and all the community activities. That's the headline everyone focuses on. But after digging deeper, it's way more nuanced than just a price tag.

The location itself is hilarious if you think about it. Forest City is this massive real estate project by China's Country Garden - basically four artificial islands in Johor, Malaysia. It's about 30 minutes from Johor Bahru city center, and honestly, the BBC called it a 'ghost city' a while back. Tons of modern high-rises, barely anyone living there. Most buildings are just sitting empty. But here's where it gets interesting - that desolation is kind of the point. It's cheap to operate, close enough to Singapore (about an hour's drive), and there's something almost poetic about building something meaningful in a place most people wrote off.

I talked to Nikki, who's been living at Network School since June 2024. She explained that the community doesn't have rigid curricula or forced learning schedules. Instead, they throw out interesting challenges - find security vulnerabilities, create content, collaborate on projects. Real organic learning. The current cohort is around 270 people, the biggest they've had. They're running in phases: the trial went through December 2024, and now they're in their 'Society-as-a-Service' phase starting March 2025, training what they call 'social builders.'

What struck me most was the vibe. Solana Superteam ran a 6-week residency there. Monad did a 3-week founder program. It's become this crossroads where actual builders - people who don't fit traditional education or corporate structures - are experimenting with what Web3 communities could look like. Some folks moved their entire operations there. Others are using it as a transition space to figure out their next move.

The facilities are legit. Hotel accommodation, a co-working space, gym (built from scratch), library, coffee shop with ocean views overlooking Singapore. They follow Bryan Johnson's Blueprint diet plan. All-in pricing covers three meals daily. Nikki mentioned they even started seeing more shops open up recently, so the whole area is slowly coming to life.

Is 1500 USD worth it? Honestly, depends on what you're after. If you're looking for a prestigious degree or quick ROI, probably not your thing. But if you want to spend a few months or longer building alongside people who actually believe in Web3 and are willing to sacrifice comfort for freedom and community? That's when Network School starts making sense. It's less about buying education and more about buying access to a specific tribe of people doing interesting things in an unlikely place.

The whole setup feels very on-brand for Web3 culture - taking something everyone else abandoned and turning it into something intentional. That's the real story of Network School.