Gate Founder Dr. Han's Speech at the University of Hong Kong: Breaking the Matthew Effect and Winning in Asymmetric Competition

On April 21, at the [Web3]( / Web3) exchange event “Web3 Dialogues @ HKU - Academia x Industry” held at the University of Hong Kong, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han delivered a keynote speech on “Breaking the Matthew Effect.” Based on his 13 years of frontline experience in the crypto industry, Dr. Han systematically explained a core judgment: in the crypto world, competition has never been fair; what truly determines victory or defeat is who establishes and maintains the “Matthew Effect” earlier.

Unfairness is the starting point: understanding the true structure of competition

Dr. Han straightforwardly stated in his speech that the essence of business competition is a game of resource and time asymmetry, not an idealized fair contest. “Don’t expect fairness in the real world,” he emphasized. The starting point, resources, and information gaps together shape the competitive landscape, and the Matthew Effect is continuously amplified within this structure— the stronger get stronger, while latecomers face higher barriers.

Taking his own experience as an example, Dr. Han mentioned that at the beginning of his startup, he lacked funding and team support, completing the initial platform setup in a family environment, starting from a completely different point than competitors who received capital backing at the same time. But it was precisely under these unfavorable conditions that he was forced to adopt more aggressive and efficient strategies.

First-mover advantage: using speed to build an “irreversible” moat

Focusing on how to break through in an unfair environment, Dr. Han proposed a second key principle: establishing the Matthew Effect as early as possible. He recalled that in the early days, the platform quickly gathered user and trading flow by launching a large number of long-tail assets first, forming an overwhelming advantage in niche markets. “While others are still assessing risks, you’ve already completed your layout,” this strategy allowed Gate to complete its first round of user accumulation with limited resources and once held a high market share.

In his view, once the Matthew Effect takes shape, it will form a self-reinforcing mechanism through liquidity, branding, and user networks, becoming the most effective “defense system.”

Seizing windows and dynamic game: establishing and reshaping competitive advantage amid uncertainty

Dr. Han pointed out that the Matthew Effect is not sustainable once established; its nature is always in a state of dynamic change. Although platforms may experience phase shocks during development, the key is whether they can quickly correct their course and return to growth, rather than trying to avoid all fluctuations. Based on this, Dr. Han summarized industry competition as a “battle for opportunity windows,” believing that each cycle of crypto industry jumps—from the 2017 ICO, 2020 DeFi Summer, to derivatives and meme assets—is essentially a short-term, highly uncertain structural opportunity. He stated that true leaders often complete their layouts during times of greatest divergence, rather than following after consensus is formed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Han emphasized that with the rapid evolution of AI, technology is reshaping production methods and competitive rhythms, further compressing decision-making windows. This requires platforms to be more agile in resource allocation and strategic choices to maintain competitiveness amid ongoing industry cycles.

Beyond rules: maintaining independent judgment amid rapid change

At the end of his speech, Dr. Han extended the topic to individual cognition, suggesting that one should not blindly follow existing rules and authorities. In conversations with students, he said, “Don’t blindly trust parents, and don’t blindly trust teachers,” emphasizing that this is not a denial of experience and education, but in the context of the rapid evolution of [Web3]( / Web3) and AI, and the constantly reshaping industry boundaries, relying solely on past experience is no longer sufficient to adapt to change. Dr. Han believes that compared to depending on standard answers, developing independent thinking and quick decision-making abilities is more critical: knowledge can be taught, but understanding this era must be done by oneself.

Conclusion

From early entrepreneurship to navigating multiple market cycles, Dr. Han’s sharing reveals a highly non-linear growth path. In his view, the core of the crypto industry is not about “participating in competition,” but about whether one can establish advantages first in an asymmetric structure, survive mistakes, and make contrarian decisions at critical moments. The accumulation of these abilities constitutes the true barrier to crossing cycles.

About Gate

Gate was founded in 2013, with Dr. Han as the founder and CEO. It is one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency trading platforms. The platform serves over 52 million users and supports trading of more than 4,500 crypto assets. As an industry benchmark, Gate was the first to achieve 100% reserve proof, with an ecosystem covering Gate Wallet, Gate Ventures, Gate for AI Agent, and other diverse services. For more information, please visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube