# Balaji's Network School Buys Farcaster From Neynar

*Author: William M. Peaster*
*Published: Oct 16, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/balaji-s-network-school-buys-farcaster-from-neynar*

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Farcaster has [changed hands again](https://farcaster.xyz/rish/0x5d479754), this time landing with Balaji Srinivasan’s Network School less than nine months after Neynar took over [the decentralized social protocol](https://www.bankless.com/read/news/neynar-acquires-farcaster-in-decentralized-social-shakeup) from its original team. 

# What’s the Scoop?

- **The deal:** Neynar co-founder Rish said the Farcaster app, protocol repos, and related products are heading to Network School, with a chunk of Neynar’s staff going along. Rish and fellow co-founder Manan are stepping away. 

- **New house rules:** Per [The Block](https://www.theblock.co/news/ecosystems/2026-10-15-network-school-acquires-farcaster-from-neynar-418720), the app is being renamed the “Network State Protocol” and is asking users to sign an onchain “social smart contract.” Signers get an access NFT, while holdouts drop to read-only, with their accounts slated to move to a different client. 

- **The vision:** Balaji [pitched the overhaul](https://farcaster.xyz/balajis.eth/0x83c734e1) as a bid to build “the Singapore of social media,” pairing tougher moderation with an appeals process. Some users have already faced bans over older posts. 

- **Loose ends:** Clanker, the token launchpad that came with Neynar’s January deal, went unmentioned in the handoff. 

- **The big picture:** Farcaster is now on its third steward in 2026. Balaji says the underlying protocol stays open to all builders, but its flagship app will be far more opinionated.
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