According to ChainCatcher, Changpeng Zhao appeared on the Meanders podcast and spoke about handling pressure, adapting to change, and maintaining long-term motivation while working in crypto.
On pressure: focus on effort rather than fixed targets
Zhao said he generally does not set specific goals for himself and instead concentrates on doing his best. He said that if market conditions are weak this year, a company’s performance may decline, but if he has done his best, has not been lazy, and has not made any major mistakes, he can accept that result.
He said he takes the same approach when dealing with problems. No matter how difficult the issue is, he tries his best to handle it, and once that is done, he waits for the outcome.
On simulation theory: the game matters, but effort comes first
Zhao also said he believes in simulation theory and sees the world as a simulation, something like a game. He said that does not make the game unimportant. In his view, the key is to handle things as well as possible inside that game, and after that, there is only waiting. He described that state with the phrase "lie back and win."
On the industry: slow blockchain progress, steady Bitcoin, and surprises from RWA and stablecoins
Speaking about the industry, Zhao said blockchain itself is still improving too slowly in areas such as performance. At the same time, he said Bitcoin upgrades slowly, which has made it especially stable. He described that as both a strength and a weakness.
He added that many ideas held by early participants in the industry have been realized, many have not, and many developments arrived that they did not anticipate.
Zhao said that even a year and a half ago, he still had doubts about whether RWA could work, but that segment is now growing quickly. He said he also had doubts about stablecoins 5 years ago, including how long they could last, because he had not fully understood them at the time. In his view now, stablecoins have their own use cases. He said these are among the developments that people in the industry had not fully expected earlier on.