At two in the morning, I couldn't sleep no matter how much I turned over — it wasn't a headache from drinking too much, but rather a realization triggered by something an industry veteran said.
Last night, we had a gathering of 'old friends,' all of whom have been tough characters in the crypto space for over 8 years. After a few drinks, we talked about the recently discussed 'new trading protocol for leading platforms,' and I quickly blurted out, 'Isn't this just internal resource repositioning?' Just as I finished speaking, a senior sitting next to me tapped his glass: 'Kid, you’re only seeing the pieces on the board, but you’re not seeing them building a new board.'
His words punctured the bubble of my habitual thinking like a needle. The senior didn't directly discuss the technology but instead shared an old internet story: 'Back when Taobao was about to monopolize C2C, why did Jack Ma insist on creating Alipay under pressure? At that time, many people said, ‘What does payment have to do with e-commerce?’ And what happened? Alipay wasn’t just a simple ‘payment tool’; it solidified the trust chain between buyers and sellers, forming the ‘water, electricity, and gas’ of the future Alibaba ecosystem.'
I suddenly felt a shiver all over — isn’t that right! The current landscape of the crypto circle is strikingly similar to the logic of internet giants fighting for ecological entry points back in the day.
Time for some valuable insights: the 'counterintuitive' logic of an ecological closed loop.
Currently, 90% of the traffic in the industry is still operating within a centralized system, but anyone with a discerning eye knows that 'de-intermediation' is the inevitable direction of technological evolution. Just like when the mobile internet emerged, even the strongest PC side had to make way for the mobile side. At this point, leading platforms pushing new protocols are not simply 'shuffling from one hand to the other' but are actually building 'the future infrastructure' in advance.
Just think: when decentralization becomes mainstream, whoever first has a mature trading infrastructure, user habits, and ecological synergy can directly transfer their existing advantages. This tactic is called 'nurturing the future with the present,' which is ten times more likely to succeed than waiting for others to pave the way and then chasing after.
A deeper statement from a senior I still remember: 'Do you think those who hold over ten thousand mainstream coins are just staring at K-lines every day? Last week, I met a friend who had already shifted 30% of his liquidity to test a new protocol. This is similar to how Tencent pushed WeChat back in the day — even if QQ is strong, it has to innovate itself, or it will be overthrown by others.'
After waking up from drinking, I stared blankly at my computer screen for half an hour: ordinary people are entangled in the fluctuations of a few points for a long time when trading cryptocurrencies; true players have long been focused on 'who can set the next round of game rules.' This cognitive gap is more decisive in determining how long you can earn money in this circle than the price fluctuations.
When WeChat first came out, how many people thought, 'Isn't it just a QQ that sends voice messages?' As a result, those who understood that it could connect payments, social interactions, and services had already made a fortune through public accounts and video accounts. The current wave of new protocols is essentially the same script — opportunities never shout 'I'm here' with a loudspeaker; they are hidden in what most people 'can’t understand.'
I have already moved my small position in for testing; it's not about taking a gamble, but not wanting to miss the chance to see the 'new chessboard.' As for whether we can grasp it, it depends on who can jump out of the 'short-term fluctuations' maze first and think more about what the industry will look like in three years.
By the way, I will often share such valuable insights from drinking sessions in the future. After all, in the crypto circle, relying solely on watching the market is not as good as 'listening to advice' — of course, it's about listening to those experienced players who have truly fought on the table. Follow me, and when I have new insights, I will call you to the table immediately!
