Can 'cryptocredits' replace Stanford? Bitcoin pioneer launches Network School

Unless you've been living under a rock on some distant planet, you’re probably aware of the ideological capture that's taken root in U.S. universities — and, more broadly, across the Western education system.

Once considered places where minds were expanded and intellectual growth was fostered, these institutions now resemble echo chambers where perspectives are narrowed and critical thinking is sacrificed at the altar of ideology. Graduates don’t just emerge with distorted mindsets; they impose their problematic perspectives on broader society.

The school’s mission is to unearth what Srinivasan calls 'dark talent' — no, not criminal masterminds capable of taking down a nation's power grid. Rather, these are individuals brimming with potential, many of whom are often overlooked by the conventional education system.

So what can be done? How do we reclaim education from this downward spiral? Enter Balaji S. Srinivasan, a man with a radical plan to shake things up.

A doer, not a dreamer

Srinivasan, a 44-year-old American entrepreneur and investor, is no stranger to innovation. He served as the chief technology officer of Coinbase and was a general partner at the renowned venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. With a résumé like that, it’s clear that Srinivasan isn’t just a dreamer — he’s a doer.

Raised on Long Island, Srinivasan is a Stanford graduate through and through, holding bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering, plus a master's in chemical engineering, all from the prestigious university. But despite his deep roots in traditional academia, he’s recognized the flaws in the current system.

He's also come to grips with the downfall of his alma mater. The very institution that gave Srinivasan his academic credentials is one of those universities that has fallen prey to the ideological capture he’s rallying against.

In response, he has launched a controversial new initiative: the Network School

'Dark talent' wanted

To say the Network School is unconventional is an understatement.

It's an online-first school designed to provide continuous learning, fitness, and community, especially for those who don’t have access to traditional elite pathways.

The school’s mission is to unearth what Srinivasan calls 'dark talent' — no, not criminal masterminds capable of taking down a nation's power grid. Rather, these are individuals brimming with potential, many of whom are often overlooked by the conventional education system.

The school, set to open its doors on September 23 with a physical campus in Singapore, blends structured and unstructured learning. Every day, according to its founder, students will tackle problem-solving tasks that earn them “cryptocredentials” — non-transferable NFTs that serve as proof of their skills. These credentials will form part of a larger “cryptoresume,” a portfolio that verifies expertise across both technology and the humanities.

It's certainly a fresh, digital twist on education, but is it more snake oil than substance?

Strange bedfellows?

Speaking of snake oil, one notable figure contributing to the school’s ambitious approach is Bryan Johnson, a man I have written about before. Best described as a mash-up between Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Michael Jackson, the 47-year-old Johnson is by far the best-known biohacker on the planet.

A tech entrepreneur who now wants to live forever, Johnson will bring his Blueprint fitness and nutrition program into the educational mix. In plain English, Blueprint consists of a carefully managed plant-based diet paired with a demanding exercise routine that covers strength training, cardio, and flexibility.

But I ask, why is Bryan Johnson involved? His role in the Network School seems more like a flashy add-on than a substantive contribution to education.

Cryptocred credulity

Graham Hillard of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing higher education in the U.S., told Align that while "traditional academia needs to be challenged, we should remain cautious about institutions offering cryptocredentials." Hillard, who frequently writes on the troubling state of U.S. universities, is absolutely right.

While the traditional system certainly needs to be challenged and “dark talent” should be given the opportunity to flourish, we must carefully analyze the alternatives being offered.

Is the Network School really that different from Andrew Tate’s Hustlers University or Patrick Bet-David’s "university"? I ask this because the similarities are striking, particularly when it comes to the lack of accreditation.

Where will these graduates go once they emerge from the Network School?

Yes, they’ll have “cryptocredentials” and a shiny “cryptoresume,” but will these carry any weight in the real world? Absolutely not. Try landing a role at Costco, Chevron, Citibank, or the local construction site with a cryptoresume, and there's a good chance that security will either laugh you out of the place or show you the door.

This isn’t to dismiss the Network School’s potential or suggest that it is an outright scam; rather, it’s to highlight that while the school is designed to tackle a genuine problem, its proposed solution raises more questions than it answers.

Align contacted the Network School for comment but did not recieve a response.