GMI

When I was in college I would read a lot about startups. One of the common refrains even back then was the notion that even if you fail the first time, or the second time, or the third time… you’ll be fine, you will grow stronger and smarter from each experience, and if you simply keep trying you will eventually succeed.

Reflecting on this now, the truth in this piece of wisdom is clear. Startups are environments of incredible growth, and consistent, compounding growth is the key to success. At the same time, opportunity is incredibly random; luck plays a huge part in any success story.

If you put yourself out there, and become a bit better every day at building, or writing, or communicating, or leading, or organizing, or pitching, or thinking… then you make yourself more powerful every day, and you put yourself in a position to capitalize on luck.

This dynamic is equally true for the participants in crypto. The world is so open; the established practices are still so new; the number of ways to create value through creativity and hard work are so many. 

The people seen today as industry titans were nobodies just a few years ago, and many of the movers and shakers of the next few years are seemingly unknown right now.

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As I look around the Monadverse, I see so many talented, smart, principled, hungry individuals who are putting themselves out there, and waiting for their chance to be called up.

I am struck by the sense that we are surrounded by giants.

When I read writing by Happy, or Zayn, or Aris, or g-van, or Mary, I feel that I’m reading the thoughts of someone who everyone in crypto will be following in a year.

When I watch RayJ’s AI creations on loop, I’m taken aback by the incredible craftsmanship and humor - the ability to master a month-old tool and add the spark to make something great.

When I hear T_H explain his team’s approach to building in a new vertical, or Ivan describing the power of swarm inference, or Fravashi’s deep strategy on user acquisition, I feel inspired by the drive and creativity of these individuals and their teams.

When I hear Ketama’s determination to create a game that is deeply meaningful to us, or hear Chandler’s war stories in getting his team to where it stands today, I know that we are among builders who will go the distance.

I love Hanriver’s quirky creations - each one is so weird and unexpected.

I obsessively admire each of Fury’s Monadolls, each of Linad’s Monshapes, each of Gleader and Grimjow’s Mouches, each of Blu’s Daks, each of Mari’s playing cards, each of Yot’s Yots, each of Shai’s sharks.

I am so impressed by the bold style of Saddamovic’s art. Evo Yudha’s clean lines. The big, optimistic eyes in Medusa’s creations. Juju’s playful worlds. Puichii’s complex characters. Syderal’s fantastical creatures, full of motion and fluidity.

I enjoy chilling out listening to Friday Vanning, and I firmly believe that the crew of G-Van, King Loui, Smol Mobster, 2red, KB and JohnW (and guests) is the funniest banter in CT. More generally, the Monad Community unironically has some of the craziest, most observant, most engrossing yappers in the space.

I love Dr Preballin’s tracks and Rakko’s AR creations and Leemo’s masterful woodcrafts and Francis’s knitted dolls and Yassy’s claymations. I love the beautiful songs sung by Zella and Zeraa and Claire.

I can’t believe the lengths to which Purpleman has gone to accelerate the spread of Plushies.

I get a laugh everytime Papayou inserts himself unexpectedly into a photo, or when Clawrence sends a cheeky meme, or when 2red… does what he does.

I am blown away by the organizing skill of the planning teams behind our Monad Meetups, and the initiative behind awesome subcommunities for self-improvement like the Monad Run Club, Ironnads, Monlingo, Quantico, and Mouch Media.

I am inspired by so, so, so, so many more. The list can go on for so long; there are so many talented people in Monad.

We are truly surrounded by giants.

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Recently, we’ve just started to see a few folks in the Monad Community get a bit more mainstream attention. To those in the limelight, it probably feels completely crazy, like a switch was just flipped.

This trend will assuredly continue, with more projects and individuals in the Monad Community becoming stars of the broader cryptosphere. I know it will, because the talent is there. The dedication is there. The passion is there.

When the switch flips for you, it still won’t be easy. You will have to work incredibly hard to keep up. You will feel underprepared. You will feel like there is so much more you can do with more time. All you can do is trust yourself and do your best. I am confident that you will excel because I have seen how capable you are.

To see what I see, you have to understand my perspective. My perspective is that the people that are lauded today as thought leaders, or as the leading builders in the space - they are all just ordinary people who had a long-term vision and the willingness to put in the work day after day. 

They are people who chipped away at their app, or podcast, or community group, or twitter account, or small business, until one day they started getting regarded as Someone Whose Opinions Matter. 

But if you ask these people if they feel differently, they will invariably tell you they don’t. The values and goals are the same, just with slightly more confidence.

Further: when I came into crypto in 2020, the timeline was dominated by brash, entertaining, seemingly unstoppable thought leaders… but in the ensuing years, many turned out to simply be folks who were loud, overleveraged and in the right place at the right time. When the tide went out, they turned out to be naked. 

In short, our industry’s leaders aren’t uniquely qualified. I believe that you are equally capable. With growth, anything is possible.

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When the Monad mainnet goes live, the Monad Community will inevitably be a lot bigger than it is today. There will be many newbies looking to make sense of the new ecosystem, looking to try new apps and trade new coins, looking for new storylines that inspire them.

To you who are here now: when the mainnet goes live, new folks will look to you as a leader. 

It will be up to you whether you wish to lean into your platform, your knowledge, your skills, to influence the ecosystem positively; to differentiate between long-term builders and short-term actors; and to grow the culture and build something lasting.

If you choose to do that, I am sure that the opportunities will be limitless.

Dearest Monad Community, happy 2025!