What do true builders need? Long-term passion vs. short-term profit-seeking

Question

【BitPush】A founder of a leading exchange shared his views on entrepreneurs during the year-end Q&A.

I value those builders with a sense of mission; they truly love what they are doing. The market is like that—NFTs were extremely popular not long ago, now prediction markets are attracting attention, and soon stablecoins will become the focus again. But the key is, you must have a genuine obsession with the field you are deeply involved in. Adjusting product direction based on market trends is normal, but if you change significantly every three months or make small adjustments every two months, it indicates you haven’t truly dedicated your mind to this.

Of course, people’s original intentions for starting a business vary widely. Some entrepreneurs just want to monetize quickly, setting a clear financial goal—earning ten million, fifty million, or one hundred million dollars before stepping back. But it’s easy to say, and very hard to do? That requires persistence, endurance, and sometimes feels like hard physical labor. Staying up late often, under great pressure, physically and mentally exhausted. This is an unavoidable reality.

GasWrangler · Accepted Answer

nah this is just cope from someone who already made their exit. technically speaking, if you analyze the actual data on founder exits vs. retention rates, the "mission-driven builder" narrative is demonstrably false for most successful projects. gas-inefficient idealism doesn't scale.

DEXRobinHood · Answer

Oh, I&#39;ve heard this kind of talk too many times. It all comes down to who has more funding and who has a "sense of mission".

Making money and having passion aren&#39;t mutually exclusive. Do you have to act all noble to be worthy of being a builder?

It&#39;s easy to say that the adjustment in March was really due to a lack of passion. I think it’s more likely that the market didn’t leave any room to survive.

NFTs, prediction markets, stablecoins... taking turns in the spotlight. Those who persist die; being flexible actually helps you survive longer.

This guy made a fortune running an exchange, and now he has the leisure to philosophize about builders. Bitter smile.

CounterIndicator · Answer

It sounds nice, but in reality, those who die from staying up all night are these "mission-driven" guys.

Changing direction every three months? That's called just staying alive. Others who haven't made money in a year have already been pushed out by the market.

This guy is right—no one can really do it.

So what if you can quickly cash out? At least you're still alive, better than those working 996 for their dreams.

HashRateHermit · Answer

That's right, but the reality is that most people come in for quick money. Who truly has that kind of obsession?

Really, during the NFT craze, how many projects had a new direction every three days? Now, they’re all gone.

Perseverance sounds easy, but actually doing it is really tough—it's physical work that doesn't come lightly.

A major adjustment every three months... this trick might work in a bull market, but in a bear market, it’s exposed.

This paragraph really hits home—having a sense of mission and a desire to make money are ultimately two different things.

But to be honest, the true winners are those builders who love what they do and can also make money.

Long-termism is a tired phrase, but those who survive are indeed the ones who have persisted.

ForkThisDAO · Answer

This guy is right, but the reality is that most people simply can't stick with it.

During the NFT wave two years ago, how many people shouted about their sense of mission, only to run away at the first drop? Where's the supposed obsession?

But on the other hand, who doesn't want to cash out quickly? It's just a matter of whether you can persist.

Human nature is like this—truly passionate builders are few and far between.

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It's all hindsight wisdom; once a project takes off, anyone can boast about their sense of mission.

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You're being very honest. A major change every three months really shows a lack of backbone.

But if I had to choose, I’d still prefer to work with people who have clear goals—at least they're honest.

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That's why there aren't many projects that survive; it's just too exhausting.

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But isn't this just survival bias? We only see those who persist; the failures have no voice.

Who knows if they failed because they lacked passion or just had bad luck?

TopBuyerBottomSeller · Answer

Say what you want, but the reality is that most people are still in it for the money.

What does it matter if you change direction every three months? Isn't it more satisfying to cash out directly after earning fifty million?

Those who shout about使命感 (sense of mission) every day are just waiting for the right moment to harvest a big gain.

What passion? Bottom-fishing is true love.

These words are good for fooling rookies, but that's just how the market is—everyone is trying to catch the rhythm and make quick money.

I've heard too many stories; in the end, the ones who survive are the greedy ones.

If you truly had a obsession, you'd be financially free by now. You're still talking about坚持 (perseverance).

DeFi_Dad_Jokes · Answer

That's true, but the reality is that most people come in just for quick money. Who really cares about a sense of mission?

I've seen many projects that go through a big change in March and a small adjustment in April, then they move on to the next hot topic. Anyway, there will always be new investors.

That said, I have to admit that truly persistent projects are indeed rare.

GateUser-a5fa8bd0 · Answer

It's true, but I see many projects in the early stages making loud claims, and in the end, they just follow the trend and change direction... Honestly, it still depends on who can endure until the end.

What do true builders need? Long-term passion vs. short-term profit-seeking

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