Justin Sun said he moved all of his assets into cryptocurrencies after 2012, describing the decision as a "system upgrade" rather than a profit-driven move.
Speaking on Shao Ailun’s podcast, "How Can Young People Seize Opportunities in the AI Era?", Sun said his starting point was not about making money. He likened the choice to physical training and said it was about "doing what you believe in and doing what is within your own understanding" for the sake of upgrading one’s system.
Sun compared the move to being among the first buyers when the iPhone was first launched. He said the only reason he bought Apple was that he believed the product represented the future, "not even for making money."
He argued that assets such as houses and cars belong to an older era and cannot be "translated for machines," while digital currencies and Bitcoin can be recognized by machines. "The version cannot roll back. It can only update forward, and the earlier you update, the better," he said.
Sun also said he bought in at a relatively low price at the time, but added that every field involves entry cost. He compared it to starting physical training too late in life, saying it is better to get in early.
On his bullish call on storage, Sun said the trend is moving in that direction and there is no need to fight it. He said he became one of the first people to call for storage because AI development will inevitably need storage, and that this was a judgment based on trend rather than personal interest.
He added that the reason for doing many things is not that they make more money. In his words, "Making money is a byproduct, because you are doing the right thing. Why does it make more money? Because society rates it highly. And why does society rate it highly? Over time, it is because it plays an increasingly important role in society."