Balaji Srinivasan
Born 1980 · Age 45
American entrepreneur, investor and technologist; co-founder of Counsyl, co-founded 21/21Inc/Earn.com, former GP at Andreessen Horowitz, former CTO of Coinbase, author of The Network State.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Long Island, New York
Born to physician parents who immigrated from Tamil Nadu, India; grew up in Plainview, Long Island.
High school graduation (approx.)
Graduated high school (reported as graduating high school in 1997 in interviews/background material).
BS in Electrical Engineering (Stanford) (approx.)
Completed undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering at Stanford (Wikipeda lists BS among degrees; year not explicitly given—approximate).
MS in Electrical Engineering (approx.)
Reported to hold MS(s) in Electrical Engineering from Stanford (timing approximated).
MS in Chemical Engineering (approx.)
Reported to hold an MS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford (timing approximated).
Became Lecturer at Stanford
Began lecturing in the Departments of Statistics and Computer Science at Stanford (sources indicate lecturing since 2006).
PhD in Electrical Engineering / Bioinformatics (approx.)
Reported to hold a PhD from Stanford (exact year not published in source list; approximation based on timelines and lecturing start).
Co-founded Counsyl (genetic testing)
Co-founded Counsyl to provide pre-pregnancy genetic screening for Mendelian diseases; served as CTO and led technical/scientific effort.
Early funding for Counsyl (Peter Thiel/Founders Fund involvement)
Counsyl bootstrapped early then raised institutional capital including support associated with Peter Thiel / Founders Fund (exact amounts/dates not fully public).
Counsyl wins Wall Street Journal Innovation Award (approx.)
Counsyl's screening test received journalism/innovation recognition (sources credit WSJ Innovation Award for Medicine; timing approximate).
YC Startup School talk: 'Silicon Valley's Ultimate Exit'
Delivered a widely-publicized talk urging tech industry to consider 'exit' strategies and digital emigration; generated significant media reaction.
Named MIT Technology Review 'Innovators Under 35'
Named in MIT Technology Review's TR35 for work in genomics and startup Counsyl.
Co-founded 21e6 / 21 Inc (Bitcoin mining startup)
Co-founded 21e6 (later 21.co / 21 Inc), a Bitcoin-mining / hardware / infrastructure startup that later pivoted; early-stage investor interest raised significant capital.
Joined Andreessen Horowitz as General Partner
Joined a16z as a General Partner; focused on crypto, biomedicine and related investments.
Co-founded Teleport (job/location search engine)
Co-founded Teleport (with Sten Tamkivi and Silver Keskkula), a search engine oriented toward digital nomads and location choice.
Co-founded Coin Center (policy non-profit)
Co-founded Coin Center with Jerry Brito and Alex Morcos — a nonprofit focused on cryptocurrency policy and advocacy.
Took operational control of a16z portfolio startup that became Earn.com
Replaced management / turned around a struggling portfolio company at a16z; the effort led to Earn.com (21 Inc pivot) — timeline mid-2010s.
Transitioned to Board Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
Stepped back from day-to-day partner responsibilities and became a Board Partner at a16z (reported 2015).
21 Inc (21.co) fundraises reported >$120M (cumulative)
21 Inc attracted major investor capital; reporting indicates the company raised over $120 million across rounds before pivot.
Married Boonsri Dickinson
Married journalist/filmmaker Boonsri Dickinson in San Francisco.
Earn.com product emerges (pay in crypto to get replies/complete tasks)
21 Inc pivoted to Earn.com (users earn crypto by replying to messages or tasks); product gained attention in crypto community.
Teleport acquired by Topia / MOVE Guides
Teleport (co-founded 2014) was acquired in 2017 (sources cite MOVE Guides / Topia acquisition).
Considered for FDA Commissioner (reported)
Reportedly met with Trump transition team and was considered for FDA Commissioner in early 2017; generated media coverage and scrutiny.
Fortune 'The Ledger 40 Under 40' ranking (#26)
Fortune included him at #26 on 'The Ledger 40 Under 40' list in 2018.
Public speaking: TechCrunch Blockchain event (speaker)
Listed among speakers at TechCrunch's blockchain event and other industry events around this time (events promoting crypto/blockchain).
Coinbase acquires Earn.com (reported ~USD 100M)
Coinbase acquired Earn.com (the successor to 21 Inc/Earn) in April 2018; numerous outlets reported the transaction around $100M (terms reported but not all public).
Appointed Coinbase's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
After Coinbase acquired Earn.com, Srinivasan was named Coinbase's first CTO and worked on integrating Earn.com and various product initiatives.
Myriad Genetics acquires Counsyl for $375M
Counsyl, co-founded by Srinivasan in 2007, was acquired by Myriad Genetics in May 2018 for $375 million (reported).
Left Coinbase (stepped down as CTO)
Departed Coinbase in 2019 after roughly one year as CTO; Coinbase later shut down Coinbase Earn in Dec 2019.
Coinbase Earn shut down
Coinbase shut down Coinbase Earn (the product evolved from Earn.com) in December 2019.
Moved to Singapore
Srinivasan and his wife relocated to Singapore in 2020 (reported in media coverage).
Early COVID warning thread on Twitter
Posted a widely-read thread on Jan 31, 2020 warning about the potential severity of COVID-19 and its implications; later sources called him 'The Man Who Called COVID.'
Public controversy over remarks about journalist Taylor Lorenz
In July 2020 Srinivasan drew attention after criticizing journalist Taylor Lorenz and making comments that were criticized as harassment; generated press coverage about VC/journalist dynamics.
Press coverage and scrutiny about past private communications
Reports surfaced about his private communications (including a reported email to Curtis Yarvin) and broader critiques of his 'exit' ideas; coverage intensified in 2021.
Donated cryptocurrency for India COVID relief
In April 2021 donated $50,000 in cryptocurrency to Indian COVID-19 relief and pledged $50 per retweet up to $100,000; public philanthropic action during pandemic surge.
Published The Network State: How To Start a New Country
Self-published book outlining concept of 'network states' — online communities that crowdfund resources to build autonomous cities/states; provoked debate and media responses.
Launched The Network State podcast — Episode 1 with Vitalik Buterin
Podcast focused on network states, crypto, policy; first episode featured Vitalik Buterin (Feb 8, 2023).
The Network State podcast — Episode 2 (Tobi Lütke & Kaz Nejatian)
Second episode featured Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke and COO Kaz Nejatian (Feb 15, 2023).
The Network State podcast — Episode 3 (President of Palau & William Wang)
Third episode featured Palau's president and rns.id founder William Wang (Feb 25, 2023).
Moved $2M in USDC as over-collateral for the BTC bet
Announced moving $2M in USDC as collateral for the bitcoin bet to demonstrate commitment.
Placed $1M bitcoin bet (Hyperbitcoinization wager)
Publicly agreed to a bet that 1 BTC would be worth $1,000,000 within 90 days; framed as ideological 'Simon–Ehrlich' style wager to draw attention to fiat risk.
Conceded BTC bet early and paid $500k to Bitcoin core developers
Conceded the $1M BTC bet early and reportedly paid an additional $500,000 to Bitcoin core developers as part of settlement/donations.
New Republic article warns of Network State political implications
Gil Duran wrote an April 2024 piece warning against dismissing Srinivasan's Network State ideas; drew from his Sept 2023 interview where he discussed seizing political power and excluding Democrats.
Talk: 'The Network School' / America's $175 Trillion Problem (public speaking)
Public talks in mid/late 2024 (platform listings show talks on sovereign debt, US economy and Network School promotion).
Founded The Network School (Forest City, Johor, Malaysia)
Started The Network School (Sept 2024) for people interested in building 'network nations'; initial enrollment ~150 students and specific ideological entry criteria reported.
Ongoing investing and portfolio activity (public reporting)
Reported to have invested in many projects (Alchemy, Solana, Chainlink, NEAR, Perplexity, Aleo, Celestia etc.) with many active stakes and dozens of exits; active angel/VC role continues.
Estimated net worth reported >$150M (Datawallet estimate)
Datawallet (June 26, 2025) estimated Balaji Srinivasan's net worth at over $150 million, reflecting exits, investments and crypto holdings.
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