Network School, led by Balaji Srinivasan, has acquired decentralized social network Farcaster from Neynar. This marks the platform's second ownership transfer in 2026, following Neynar's acquisition from original developer Merkle Manufactory in January. The deal includes the Farcaster app, protocol codebase, and related products. Most of Neynar's team will join Network School, while co-founders Rish and Manan will depart. Arrangements for token launch platform Clanker remain unclear. Farcaster announced a strategic pivot to become a "network state protocol," aiming to build a voluntary digital society that maps to the real world. Users must accept new "social smart contracts" to receive access NFTs; those who decline will have browse-only access to the main app. The platform is also implementing "proof of personhood" verification to reduce bot activity.