Gate Founder Dr. Han's 13th Anniversary Open Letter: Unleashing the Power of Transformation Amid Cyclical Changes

To all Gate users, partners, and media friends:

This year, Gate celebrates its thirteenth anniversary. When I founded this platform, Bitcoin and blockchain were still very niche topics. Today, Gate has become a platform serving hundreds of millions of users worldwide. The journey has been made possible by the trust and support of every user, partner, and team member. On this 13th anniversary, I want to share with you the development history of Gate, its milestone achievements, and our thoughts on the future.

Starting Point of Choice: Leaving Certainty, Embracing the Unknown

Thirteen years ago, on a seemingly clear life path, I made an untimely choice.

At that time, I was doing postdoctoral research abroad in optoelectronics. Continuing along the existing track to become an academic researcher was a highly certain and widely recognized path.

From a rational perspective, there was almost no need for further judgment.

But I chose to leave.

If I had continued focusing on my original field—optics and optoelectronics, or chip technology—perhaps today would have been a completely different trajectory. Among those technological waves that also profoundly change the world, these paths are not lacking in certainty or value.

But at that moment, the real question to answer was not “which path is more stable,” but which direction is closer to the starting point of the next structural transformation.

The blockchain industry at that time was a path with almost no references and lacked consensus. It was more uncertain and easier to overlook; but precisely because of that, it demanded higher long-term judgment and greater patience and restraint. From the results, this choice has defined the past thirteen years.

It’s more like a personal decision.

Without a team, without resources, and even without a clear path. From one person to a small team of a dozen, and now to a nearly three-thousand-strong global organization, this process itself has been an answer.

I still remember the first team-building. It was a cold winter, with only a few people, and everyone’s face was red from the cold. There weren’t many arrangements, nor was there a concept of “team.” We just sat together, talking about some uncertain things.

But at that moment, it was very real.

Later, as the team grew, the path gradually became clearer, and many things became orderly and manageable. Just recalling that moment, I still feel that the starting point was already there.

Defining Ability Through Action

Looking back, this kind of choice was not accidental.

Since I was very young, I’ve been used to making my own decisions and prefer to verify answers myself rather than accept ready-made paths.

After graduating from middle school and owning my first computer, I began systematic self-study of programming, dismantling devices, and repeatedly assembling them—these were the most engaged activities at that time.

Compared to the results, I cared more about the process itself—understanding how it works, then reconstructing it. This interest in “underlying mechanisms” later extended into more systematic learning.

Choosing electronics as my major in university was not just a professional choice but a deeper extension. During that period, I spent much more time on experiments and practical work than on regular courses, gradually forming a problem-oriented learning approach.

In my master’s and Ph.D. stages, this state was further amplified. Most of the time was spent in the lab, from design and debugging to repeated verification—an intense but highly focused rhythm. Just like Gate’s recent investment in Intelligent Web3 R&D, the team worked tirelessly for nearly two months, and everything was very exciting—we achieved it.

Looking back now, this experience has had some long-term impacts, including sensitivity to details, patience in dissecting complex systems, and an almost instinctive work rhythm. Some colleagues jokingly say this was probably the starting point of my habit of working late into the night.

In the early days of entrepreneurship, I was often the last to leave the office. Many decisions and thoughts were completed late at night. When dawn broke, I would go back to rest for a few hours, then start the next cycle. Internally, colleagues often joked that my working hours seemed to always have a “time difference” from others.

But to some extent, this rhythm is how I understand problems and make judgments. I seem to enjoy this “undisturbed time” more.

Crossing the Unknown and the Fog

In an unverified, even misunderstood field, choosing to invest long-term is itself a gamble.

At that time, the industry had no clear rules, no mature infrastructure, and lacked basic trust consensus.

What we faced was not just a technical problem, but a more fundamental judgment—whether this world truly needs to be reconstructed. Our answer was affirmative.

So, Gate took its first step.

To understand this journey more intuitively, in those initial years, I was almost always walking a “less traveled path.” Being misunderstood was normal; being questioned or ignored was also normal.

But looking back, this “less traveled path” often marks the beginning of a new technological paradigm—just like today’s Intelligent Web3, which, in its early stages, also experienced long periods of skepticism, scarce consensus, and repeated validation of long-term value.

From being ignored to widespread discussion; from fringe exploration to becoming part of the infrastructure. Throughout this process, Gate has maintained an innovative pace, bravely leading the industry, constantly trying new products, technologies, and models.

Looking back, I have also taken some wrong turns and made imperfect decisions, but every attempt has accumulated experience for the future and is worthwhile. I once told the team that the cost of paying for mistakes in our history has exceeded one billion dollars.

During the industry’s most fervent times, we did not lose our basic judgment; during the most pessimistic times, we did not give up long-term investment.

We gradually realized that what truly determines how far a platform can go is not its ability to expand in a bull cycle, but its self-restraint in a bear cycle. Whether it can resist temptation, stay clear-headed in risks, and stick to underlying logic amid uncertainty.

These are far more important than growth itself.

It is these continuous attempts and progress that have moved us from initial explorers to industry pioneers with more constructive influence.

2025: Structural Advancement and Industry Rebuilding

Today, as we look at this industry at the start of its thirteenth year, it is shifting from “narrative-driven” to “infrastructure-driven”;

From “emotional amplification” to “value sedimentation”;

From partial innovation to broader real-world connection.

New variables are entering this system: technology, regulation, macro environment, and a broader user base. This means the industry’s threshold is rising. At the same time, the opportunities for true long-termists are also expanding.

Gate is gradually shifting from a builder to a shaper of industry structure. We are no longer limited to providing trading services but are trying to build more comprehensive connections—linking users and assets, liquidity and innovation, different markets and structural opportunities.

This is a more complex path, and it also means greater responsibility.

2025 for Gate is not just a year of simple growth but a conscious step toward structural advancement.

In the core markets of spot and derivatives, we continue to deepen, improve efficiency, and enhance risk control, further consolidating our leading position in mainstream trading systems. These capabilities are not just about scale but are the foundation for cycling through different phases.

But more critical changes are happening outside of trading.

Over the past year, we have continuously advanced licensing and localization under compliance and globalization frameworks. This is not passive adaptation but proactive entry into a higher-standard competitive environment. Meanwhile, we are simultaneously expanding in multiple directions:

RWA, enabling crypto assets to establish more direct links with the real world;

TradFi, gradually reshaping the boundaries between traditional finance and on-chain systems;

Extending from CeFi to DeFi, making the platform no longer just a holder of centralized structures but part of a more open ecosystem;

And AI, which is redefining the efficiency boundaries of trading, risk control, and decision-making.

These seemingly different paths are converging into a clearer mainline: the industry is moving from “trade-driven” to “infrastructure-driven” stages.

In this phase, the essence of competition has changed. It’s no longer just about product competition but about system capabilities; no longer just about scale but about structure and standards.

What Gate is doing is not chasing every short-term narrative but making early layouts on multiple key levels. When the industry enters the next cycle, platforms with true infrastructure capabilities will no longer be mere participants but part of the rules.

We understand very well that such positioning will not be granted in the short term. It can only be built gradually through continuous investment, restraint, and judgment.

And 2025 is just a stage in this process.

Newborns and the Future: Gate Defines the Next Phase

Twelve years is more like a complete cycle. From early exploration, to mid-term expansion, to cyclical contraction and reconstruction, we have almost experienced all phases of this industry: booms, bubbles, collapses, rebuilds, and the formation of new consensus. It’s not just about time accumulation but a repeated calibration of cognition, capability, and boundaries.

And the thirteenth year, for us, is not just “continuation.” It’s more like a new starting point.

If we compare Gate to a person, then thirteen years old, entering the Teenage phase, what does that mean?

It’s no longer an individual dependent on external environments for survival, nor has it become a fully stable, mature system. It begins to have its own judgment, understand rules, and even try to define rules. It knows the world is not simple, but still chooses to move forward.

The next stage has already begun. Every layout and every innovation is not only about growth but also about reshaping the industry landscape.

We will use higher-dimensional strategies, continuous innovation, and deep industry insights to reshape rules, lead trends, and truly make Gate an irreplaceable force in the market landscape.

Thank you for your trust and choices at different stages.

In an industry full of volatility and uncertainty, such trust is never taken for granted.

Thirteenth year, and we are still on the way.

Like a growing individual—imperfect but clearer; unpromising but responsible for every choice.

The future is long, and we walk together.

Gate Founder and CEO
Dr. Han