Author: Donny (Web3Donny)
Two months ago, Justin Sun just turned 34 years old.
Before the age of 30, his halo came from a long list of dazzling titles: Peking University, cover figure of "Asia Weekly", Ivy League graduate (University of Pennsylvania), Global Outstanding Young Person at the Davos Forum, the first and only post-90s student at Hupan University founded by Jack Ma...
He started his business at the age of 22 while studying abroad, and after returning to China at the age of 24 as the Chief Representative of Greater China of Ripple Labs, he founded Ripple China and served as the CEO. At the age of 25, he was named "China Internet New Figure of the Year" by CNTV, and at the age of 27, he founded the blockchain platform TRON and was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list that year. At the age of 29, he won the Buffett lunch...
However, along with his dazzling achievements, he has also been at the center of public opinion, with the media and industry insiders raising many controversies over his bold business tactics, frequent self-promotion, and the compliance of his projects. Some praise his pioneering spirit, while others criticize him for being too flamboyant, but he seems to be indifferent to these external evaluations, whether positive or negative.
You will find that each controversy, each headline, has actually become a part of his personal brand building.
9 years ago, in a 2015 interview by Pengpai News, the reporter wrote: "The 25-year-old Justin Sun is undoubtedly a rising star among post-90s entrepreneurs, both dazzling and controversial. The skeptical voices mainly focus on the constant ups and downs of his life trajectory and the almost obsessive passion he has shown since embarking on his entrepreneurial journey."
Now, the 34-year-old Justin Sun is still at the forefront of the blockchain industry, and his every move is like being in the spotlight, attracting widespread attention. This almost obsessive passion is like an invisible hand, constantly pushing him forward.
Illustration of Justin Sun, Artist: Pedro Brisola
Justin Sun, the "Prime Minister" of Liberland
Recently, Justin Sun has taken on a new title - "Prime Minister" Justin Sun.
On October 10, according to a document disclosed by Twitter (@tier10k) blogger, the unrecognized micro-state of Liberland announced the latest results of its parliamentary elections. Justin Sun won the election and was nominated as the acting Prime Minister by Liberland's President Vit Jedlička.
On October 11, Justin Sun confirmed on social media that he had been elected as the Prime Minister of Liberland.
Screenshot of Justin Sun's Twitter
The official statement of Liberland said that the election was completed at 5 a.m. Central European Time on October 6, marking the first full deployment of the country's blockchain-based election system. The election process used a simple rule set, fully algorithmized, aiming to provide transparency and eliminate doubts about the election results.
What is Liberland?
According to the introduction on Wikipedia, Liberland, officially the Free Republic of Liberland, is a self-proclaimed micronation founded on April 13, 2015 by Czech politician Vít Jedlička, claiming sovereignty over an area of land on the western bank of the Danube river, between Croatia and Serbia, known as "Gornja Siga".
Source: Wikipedia
Justin Sun stated that Liberland is not only a country, but also a manifestation of the political ideology of advocating freedom, minimizing government intervention, and individual autonomy.
Justin Sun also described his vision of Liberland becoming a global symbol of the libertarian ideology, comparing it to a spiritual homeland for libertarians. He emphasized that Liberland is the first country where the relationship with citizens is based on common principles and values rather than blood or geographical boundaries, and everything is built on the basis of voluntary participation and mutual respect.
He plans to actively promote the idea of a small government, not only within Liberland, but also as a model for the world. He stated that the success of Liberland can inspire other countries to accept libertarian principles and demonstrate that minimizing government can bring stability and prosperity without excessive regulation or coercion.
This latest appointment undoubtedly reminds people of Justin Sun's experience in 2021 as the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Plenipotentiary Ambassador.
Justin Sun's moves are as always full of unexpected elements, often challenging people's understanding of traditional entrepreneurs. His frequent cross-industry forays and bold actions not only surprise the public, but also often provoke mockery and heated discussions.
As someone jokingly said: "Sun is up to something again."
Justin Sun as the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Plenipotentiary Ambassador in 2021
The "Scrutinized" Justin Sun
Whether it's being elected as the Prime Minister of Liberland or frequently making headlines in the crypto world and global politics, it will inevitably trigger a lot of discussion and controversy.
Supporters believe he has broken traditional rules and boundaries, promoting the integration of liberalism and innovation. Critics, on the other hand, see him as an opportunist who manipulates public opinion through "traffic"and operates on the edge of the rules.
Challenging the rules seems to have become his usual path, and it is precisely this constant challenge to traditional authority and systems that keeps him under continuous scrutiny. People can't help but wonder: Is he truly fighting for the idea of freedom, or is he just accumulating more capital and influence for himself?
Sometimes the media tends to view him as a single image, and this simplification of perspective affects the public's comprehensive understanding of him and leads to a one-sided discussion, unable to delve deeper into his influence in the industry.
We are both focused on his achievements and questioning his motives. For someone who has been constantly challenging traditional authority and systems, people naturally want to know what his ultimate goal is.
Justin Sun's career can be seen as a continuous game, and his attempts and explorations in different fields actually reveal the challenges faced by a post-90s entrepreneur.
Therefore, Justin Sun is not only a public figure under scrutiny, but also an individual struggling between self-expression and public expectations. Understanding a person indeed requires a deeper perspective, beyond simple labels and prejudices, in order to truly grasp his complexity.
I want to use some interesting perspectives to unravel other aspects of Justin Sun.
"I" Person Justin Sun
Over the years, Justin Sun's appearance seems to have hardly changed. In formal occasions, he is always dressed in a suit, often hiding a brand-logo T-shirt under the suit jacket, and wearing a pair of clean and neat Nike sneakers, paired with a casual and relaxed pair of trousers.
Outsiders may want to understand him, but insiders seem to already know him well enough.
Many people may not know that the outwardly eloquent and in-control person is actually a typical "I" person (introverted personality).
Justin Sun has tested himself, and he is a standard INTP personality type, also known as the Logician personality type.
INTP is one of the sixteen personality types in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). INTP personalities are known for their coolness and rationality. They enjoy delving into the core of problems and pursuing depth of thought, rather than staying on the surface.
Here is the English translation:Who are the famous logicians? Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and others are INTP personalities, who often have advanced thinking and are good at discovering logical clues that ordinary people cannot see.
INTP lives in their own world, logicalizing everything according to their own thinking.
Although very "I", Justin Sun is more sensitive and interested in emerging things, especially in the field of blockchain technology.
Huobi's brand spokesperson Liu Ye (@HTX_liuyego) revealed: "Justin Sun, an INTP of this level, often has a consciousness that is ahead of others. He is always able to break out of the conventional thinking framework and see the future trends that most people have not noticed. He has an extremely high sensitivity to the understanding and judgment of emerging things, especially in the fields of blockchain and technological innovation."
From his personality, Justin Sun is indeed a person who dares to break the routine and is full of curiosity.
Take HTX DAO as an example, Liu Ye told me, he is truly willing to achieve decentralized governance through the platform. Even if some management initially did not understand his decisions, these measures often ended up being successful in the end.
In Justin Sun's perspective, the development of HTX DAO is closely tied to the development of the company. By operating the Huobi platform well, the value of HTX will also grow accordingly, just like the stock price growing when operating a company.
However, like other INTP personalities, his independent thinking and different decision-making methods also often cause doubts and confusion from the outside world. As for these voices, Justin Sun seems to consistently ignore them, because in his world, everything has already had his own answers.
"Model Worker" Justin Sun
Last month, the community spontaneously started to "flood" Justin Sun, calling him the model worker in the Web3 field, a true Builder.
You will find that Justin Sun has been active in the blockchain industry for more than 10 years.
Those big shots who were active at the same time have either retreated to the backstage or have already retired and started to travel around.
Recently, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin became the focus of attention due to his love affair, while the single Justin Sun became another hot topic in the community.
Justin Sun once mentioned in a sharing that he almost has no vacation, whether it's a workday or a holiday, he is always on 24-hour standby.
In a podcast called "Kai Kang" in May this year, the host asked him: "What is your work and life philosophy?"
Justin Sun replied: "Everything can give way to work for me. I think at this stage, work is the only important thing, and everything else can be sacrificed. I'm like a professional athlete, training every day, pursuing the best condition."
Many people are curious whether he doesn't sleep, because he is always full of energy, surfing on social platforms 24 hours a day, and showing extremely agility to any hot spot.
In that podcast program, he said that in a sense, he hopes he can be like an artificial intelligence, or like a robot, and he wants to minimize emotional fluctuations as much as possible.
"Running a company is my only hobby."
He has a great passion for entrepreneurship and business, and almost all of his time and energy are invested in this.
As a result, from the perception of the outside world, Justin Sun's personality seems to be less flamboyant.
He is now only focused on doing what he should do, such as wanting to make TRON better, and leading Huobi HTX to "return to the top three".
In August, Justin Sun attended the Huobi HTX 11th anniversary theme series event and shared his outlook for Huobi HTX. He feels that in a sense, Huobi HTX's operation for 11 years is a success.
Then he switched to a talkative mode:
"Jack Ma said that most Japanese companies have a history of hundreds of years, and we also want to be a century-old shop, although this is very difficult in the financial industry, but we will continue to work hard. In the Web3 field, it is rare for a company to last for 11 years, but Huobi HTX has done it. In the past 11 years, our industry has developed very greatly. In the crypto world, anything is possible. This sentence can be interpreted positively or negatively, both of which may have their own reasons. In the past 11 years, the development of the crypto world has far exceeded the traditional industry."
Justin Sun, the "Exceptional One" Who Gets Scolded
Later you will find that many people in the crypto world scold Justin Sun, but they end up making Justin Sun an exception.
Initially, everyone was focused on what Justin Sun bought or sold, and guessed whether "Brother Sun" would dump the market. Over time, this attention gradually evolved into the so-called "wealth code" within the community. Justin Sun's investment moves, especially the timing of his purchases, have become an important basis for many investors to judge market trends.
Although he occasionally also "crashes" (such as being trapped when buying the dips on Ethereum previously), according to the feedback from the community, his success rate is still quite high.
So a saying has circulated in the community: "You can say that Brother Sun is a scumbag, but you can't say that Brother Sun is bad."
Sometimes Justin Sun sees himself as an attacker, always striking at critical moments, just like the attacking style of his favorite football club AC Milan, but he also knows how to defend, just like Maldini's calmness and accuracy as a defender. When facing doubts and challenges, Justin Sun is often able to fend off all external attacks and criticisms in a unique way.
The once unabashed and bold self-expression style has gradually become more introverted and cautious.
This change not only reflects his sensitivity to external voices, but also shows that he is learning to weigh the consequences of his own actions in the constantly changing industry environment.
These changes are both contradictory and complementary.
The tides of the times and Justin Sun's own abilities have together created his current status.
His controversiality may be precisely because he is at the forefront of the industry, and his success comes from his ability to continuously innovate and seize opportunities in the rapidly changing market.
"Reverse Challenger" Justin Sun
When he was young, Justin Sun liked to read Wang Xiaobo and Li Ao. Wang Xiaobo's humor and profundity, and Li Ao's incisiveness and frankness, have deeply influenced the young Justin Sun.
In the essay "A Unique Pig" by Wang Xiaobo, he missed the free and easy pig that jumped over the fence like a goat, climbed up the roof like a cat, and refused to be slaughtered, and could even break through the human blockade.
"A unique pig" is still the spiritual idol of this era.
20 years after Wang Xiaobo's death, people still seem unable to escape the "fate of being content with the set life" and live a "slowly beaten" life.
When he was young, Justin Sun had already planned to "escape".
In the 2007 Guangdong college entrance examination, the competition in Guangdong was still very fierce, with 700,000 candidates that year, and Peking University had only 20 admission quotas in the liberal arts in Guangdong. In the end, Justin Sun scored 650 points.
Before the exam, Justin Sun's first choice was Peking University's Yuanpei Program, and his second choice was the Chinese Department of Peking University. He was eventually admitted to the Chinese Department of Peking University.
Justin Sun himself said that his exam scores in high school were actually not very good, and he used a year in high school, plus the bonus points for the New Concept Writing, to reverse from a third-tier university to Peking University.
In that era, Wang Xiaobo discussed the loneliness and rebellion of the individual in society, while Justin Sun's unconventionality was a choice to walk a different path in a world that pursues norms and consistency.
His personality can be described as "extremely unconventional". In his entrepreneurial journey, he gained attention and resources in a unique way. This style is reflected not only in his business strategies, but also in his shaping of his public image.
However, being unconventional is not always smooth sailing. This personality trait has brought him attention and resources, but also doubts and criticism.
Through constant reflection and adjustment, perhaps Justin Sun is striving to find a resonance with the spirit conveyed by the unconventional pig in Wang Xiaobo's writings - to persist in being true to oneself and bravely pursue one's own path, even in adversity.
"Ordinary Person" Justin Sun
Putting aside all identities, sometimes Justin Sun is just an ordinary post-90s.
He likes all kinds of new things, watching football matches, Taylor Swift concerts, and F1 races. He even reposts some bloggers' "find the number" tweets to "eat melon".
Sometimes Justin Sun is also a pure chatterbox.
People who have interacted with him say that the range of topics he can discuss is surprisingly broad, and he can talk endlessly about any topic.
On his social media platforms, he talks about "marriage", a topic that a person who doesn't "date much" can discuss eloquently.
He reposts someone else's WEB3 "on-chain meme" rap song, and he might even practice freestyle at home by himself.
He still loves to "create chaos", wherever there is "chaos" to be created, he will appear.
Justin Sun in the "Crypto Tide"
At the beginning of the article, we wrote that Justin Sun is passionate about the vision of Liberland.
He hopes to turn it into a spiritual homeland for libertarians, just as the Vatican is for Catholics. Justin Sun explained: "Libertarians around the world may have different nationalities and identities in different countries, but Liberland will become their ideological homeland, a place that respects the ideals of freedom, self-governance, and voluntary civic governance."
Returning to the turbulent world of blockchain and crypto, his very existence is full of contradictions and conflicts, and these controversies and praises seem to have already become the backdrop on the stage of his life.
Does Justin Sun really care about these evaluations? Now that wealth has flooded in like the tide, these public opinions and external perspectives may have already become the "background noise" in his life, no longer having a substantial impact.
In his classic work "The Golden Age", Wang Xiaobo wrote: "That day I was twenty-one, in the golden age of my life, I had many extravagant wishes. I wanted to love, to eat, and to turn into a half-light, half-dark cloud in the sky. Later I realized that life is a slow process of being hammered, people grow old day by day, and extravagant wishes also disappear day by day, until they become like a hammered ox. I felt that I would always be vigorous and nothing could hammer me."
But as time passes, people gradually understand that life, as Wang Xiaobo said, is a "slow process of being hammered". These dreams and extravagant wishes will gradually be shattered by reality, and ultimately become as heavy as an ox, struggling to move forward.
Then, if Justin Sun went back to 22 years old, would he choose to immerse himself in entrepreneurship and fearlessly enter the crypto tide again?
Would he still maintain the initial passion and vigor in the face of countless challenges and controversies, and fearlessly charge forward like he did back then?
Just as the blockchain world itself is full of uncertainty, at 34 years old, he is still riding the crest of the crypto wave, chasing the next wave.
