After reading Gate founder Dr. Han’s 13th anniversary open letter, I felt really moved. It wasn’t because of the number “13 years” by itself, but because of the calm yet firm power in what he said when he told us to “leave certainty, embrace the unknown”—more than a decade ago, when he was doing a postdoctoral fellowship overseas, even though there was a “steady and safe” academic path he could take, he still chose the blockchain path at a time when it was hardly anyone’s focus, with no references, and no consensus.

He said: “The real questions that need answering are not which path is more reliable, but which direction is closer to the starting point of the next structural transformation.” That sentence really hits home for me. In an era when everyone wants to find “certainty,” daring to choose the “unknown” is, in itself, a kind of courage—and also a kind of judgment.

From one person, to a small team of a dozen or so, and then to a global organization of nearly three thousand people—he said “without a team, without resources, and not even a clear path”—but at that moment, sitting together and talking about “uncertain things” felt very real. That sense of authenticity makes me think of many entrepreneurs’ stories: not starting from grand visions, but starting from a moment like “even if it’s freezing, and my face is red from the cold, I’m still willing to sit down and talk for a bit.”

Later, as the team grew larger and the path gradually became clearer, he said, “When I occasionally think back to that moment, I still feel that the starting point of everything was actually already there.” This kind of looking back at one’s original intention is especially moving.

He mentioned “defining ability through action”: from self-learning programming, to taking apart devices, to repeatedly reassembling them; from choosing electronics in university, to spending his master’s and PhD years in labs; and then to Gate’s uninterrupted, two-month consecutive investment in Intelligent Web3. This habit of “being interested in underlying mechanisms” and “verifying answers hands-on” runs through the entirety of his growth journey. No wonder he can say: “What truly determines how far a platform can go is not its ability to expand in sync with the cycle, but its self-discipline during downturns.”

At the peak of the industry’s frenzy, they didn’t lose their judgment; at the most pessimistic times, they also didn’t give up their investment. He said that “historically, the cost of paying for mistakes has been over a billion dollars,” but he didn’t shy away from it—each round of trial and error was turned into accumulated experience. In the crypto field, full of noise and bubbles, this attitude of “not avoiding it and daring to take responsibility” is particularly precious.

In 2025, Gate is no longer simply providing trading services—it is trying to build the foundation infrastructure for “connecting users and assets, liquidity and innovation, and structural opportunities across different markets.” RWA connects crypto assets to the real world, while TradFi blurs the boundaries between traditional finance and on-chain systems—this is a leap from “transaction-driven” to “infrastructure-driven,” and a shift from “participants” to “rule shapers.”

Finally, he said: “At thirteen, entering the teenage years, no longer relying on the external environment to survive, not yet fully mature, but it begins to have its own judgment, begins to understand rules, and begins to try to define rules.” This line makes me think about everyone’s growth—imperfect, yet clear-headed; not mature yet, but willing to take responsibility.

The future is long—we’ll walk together.

Forward this to all friends who are looking for “long-term value” and “the underlying logic” in the crypto world. May we all find our own “power for transformation” as cycles change. 🌟

— Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han, April 13, 2026