Episodes
37
Latest episode
Apr 2026
Language
EN
What comes after Google, Facebook, Bitcoin, and Ethereum? Perhaps it's the startup country — the network state. Balaji interviews tech founders and policymakers from around the world on managing billions of dollars and millions of people, as well as what it might take to start a new kind of state.
Uma Roy is a cryptographer and cofounder of Succinct. We discuss how zero knowledge acts as a defense against AI, the challenges with AI detection tools, and how crypto makes digital media real again. If you are interested in the intersection of AI and cryptography, apply to Network School at https://ns.com.
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/.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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