Intae Song, who has grown from an individual investor to the global chief sales officer of Bitget, shares his opportunities and challenges in entering the crypto industry in this article, reviews the team atmosphere and development process of Bitgets early entrepreneurship, details his strategies and experiences in the process of global expansion, and gives insights on the future of the contract market, the role of institutional investors, and the combination of blockchain and AI. He specifically mentioned that he insists on communicating face-to-face with two customers every week. This habit helps him to capture market changes in a timely manner and adjust strategies and product directions more effectively. He also emphasized the importance of continuous learning and adapting to market changes, and gave suggestions and advice to new entrants.
This article reflects the author’s personal views and does not necessarily represent the views of Wu Shuo.
1. How did you first enter the crypto industry as a personal investor? What were the key opportunities or inspirations at the time? What was the biggest challenge you encountered in the process? How did you overcome it?
My initial journey into the crypto industry was not an overnight experience. As an individual investor, I was initially concerned with some inefficiencies in the traditional financial system, especially the settlement cycle and cross-border payment barriers in the traditional financial market. As I learned more about cryptocurrency technology and blockchain, I realized that it could not only solve these problems, but also create a whole new way of financial interaction. I became interested in the potential of this technology and decided to devote myself to it.
One of the biggest challenges I faced during this process was how to deal with the high volatility of the crypto market and the information noise in it. In the early days, I was confused by some technical details. It was a big challenge to extract useful content from the noise for investment decisions. Sometimes, extreme market sentiment can also make people fall into the dilemma of blindly following the trend. How to stay rational and make long-term effective judgments is a problem that I have gradually overcome.
What finally helped me sort out my thoughts was to look at the crypto industry from the framework of analyzing traditional investments. Focusing on the fundamentals and practical applications of the project, rather than blindly chasing market hot spots, this way of thinking helped me gradually distinguish between signals and noise, and also gave me a stronger belief in the crypto industry.
2. When you joined Bitget as an early employee, what was the team size and company atmosphere like at the time? What entrepreneurial stories impressed you?
When I joined, Bitget was still a small team of less than 50 people. There were only three people in my department. Due to limited manpower, everyone had multiple roles, but we had a common belief that cryptocurrency could reshape traditional finance. Despite the steep learning curve in the industry, we always maintained a practical spirit and pushed things forward. As we all know, the speed of change in the crypto industry is comparable to the speed of light. In the early days of our business, we were almost racing against time, not only to create products that meet market demand, but also to build a solid infrastructure to support huge trading volumes, while constantly launching innovative features.
One of the most impressive experiences was in the early stages of the Bitget futures market launch. In order to troubleshoot a key issue that may cause users to be unable to open and close positions smoothly under extreme market conditions, our team stayed in the company after get off work to debug and ensure that it could be launched smoothly as planned. Throughout the process, the team atmosphere was tense, but everyone supported each other and fought side by side just to deliver on time. In addition to technical issues, there were also some challenges in customer service. Since there was no full-time customer service at the time, I personally handled a lot of user feedback. These experiences made me deeply realize that teamwork and flexibility are the key to success.
The team culture at that time was intense but highly collaborative. We were united in our goals and had an urgent pursuit of growth and progress as the entire industry was striving to gain trust and recognition in the market. I believe that this way of thinking is still applicable today - always stay forward-looking, anticipate user needs, and actively shape the industry we want to deepen.
3. What tasks did you take charge of or participate in during Bitgets global expansion? What major challenges did you encounter? Can you share a case that impressed you the most when developing a new market?
Successful exchanges all have their own advantages, and one of my core responsibilities is to tap into Bitgets advantages through contract trading. However, bringing Bitget to different markets is not as simple as launching contract trading. We also need to truly understand the cultural differences in different places, because these differences directly affect trading habits, and the regulatory requirements and licensing issues in each region are also different. If we rush into new markets without understanding these factors, it is likely to backfire; but if we move too slowly, we may miss the opportunity. Therefore, I need to work closely with the legal team and establish local connections to ensure that our products meet local needs and meet global standards.
By having a deep understanding of each market, we can tailor products to suit different regions rather than simply apply a “one size fits all” approach. While no single thing stood out during the expansion process, the key lesson I learned is that successful market expansion depends on the right entry strategy, which requires close cooperation and coordination with relevant regulators.
4. From sales manager to business partner, and now to CSO, what are the changes and upgrades between different roles? Can you introduce the specific job content of these positions to readers? What are the key tasks in the future?
In fact, my core responsibilities have not changed much, mainly focusing on expanding Bitgets cooperation network and sales opportunities. But now, my work scope has added the dimension of global expansion.
The next key work will focus on the following aspects:
Global Market Expansion: Continue to promote Bitgets expansion in emerging markets, especially in Southeast Asia, Latin America and other underdeveloped regions. We will tailor different products and strategies according to the cultural differences, regulatory requirements and market needs of each region to ensure maximum growth worldwide.
Innovative products and services: As the crypto industry continues to develop, we will continue to focus on market demand and promote platform innovation. For example, the recently launched innovative products Bitget Seed and Early Hunter airdrop help users discover and capture high-quality assets at an early stage.
Deepen institutional and VIP business: Create a more diversified user structure; institutional users will enjoy 24/7 exclusive services and API interface upgrades, exclusive data backend, lower transaction fees, faster transaction speeds, higher transaction limits, flexible capital allocation and customized wealth management services.
Regulatory compliance and industry cooperation: As crypto regulation around the world gradually improves, we will pay more attention to compliance to ensure that the companys operations in various markets comply with local laws and regulations. At the same time, we will also strengthen cooperation with the industry and beyond, establish a stronger ecological partner network, and enhance Bitgets market competitiveness and brand influence.
5. Bitget is known for its wolf-like corporate culture. Is this more evident in the sales team? What is the main goal of the current sales team? How do you view the prospects of the contract market?
As I mentioned before, Bitgets core strategy is to create differentiated advantages. Wolf nature is better to say that Bitgets corporate culture is to implement pragmatism, everything is result-oriented, people with results will be fully authorized and rewarded, simple and efficient. For example, last year, we took out 70 million US dollars to reward more than 1,700 employees, and no matter whether the market is a bull market or a bear market, the year-end bonus is never late. We are more collaborative and strive for common goals rather than internal consumption. Collaboration is an important principle for us, and we also maintain an open feedback mechanism. The mission of the sales team is to promote cryptocurrency to the mainstream. Although the external environment does contribute to the development of the industry, the sales team must always pay attention to changes in market demand and regulatory trends to ensure that Bitget is always among the investors top choices.
I believe that the futures contract market will be more oriented towards professional traders and institutional investors. Derivatives in the traditional financial industry are mainly used for hedging and leverage strategies. The development path of the crypto market is similar. With the entry of institutional funds, the trend of compliance and structuring will accelerate. At present, the core users of the contract market are still high-frequency traders and arbitrageurs, but more and more institutions are beginning to allocate crypto assets and explore more complex trading strategies. With the improvement of the regulatory environment, market liquidity and depth will be further improved, and even more complex customized derivatives will appear. We will continue to optimize our products to provide individuals and institutions with more abundant trading tools and a stable trading environment.
6. I heard that you still maintain the habit of meeting 2 clients every week. How does this habit help you?
Yes, this is a habit I have maintained since I joined the company, and I will not stop in the future. This habit is very helpful to me. I can directly understand their needs and feedback, which helps us to continuously improve our products and services. I think face-to-face communication with customers is one of the most direct and effective ways to capture their ideas and market changes more realistically. Innovative features like Bitget Seed are actually some creative ideas proposed by customers. Our internal team transforms these ideas into actual products, develops them, and launches them online.
This kind of communication not only allows me to discover new opportunities faster, but also helps clients solve problems in a timely manner, which makes me more confident when making decisions because I can adjust our strategies according to the actual needs of clients. Moreover, this kind of communication deepens mutual trust and enables us to establish a longer-term and more stable cooperative relationship.
7. What cryptocurrencies do you hold currently? What is your largest holding? What are your largest altcoin and meme holdings? How do you view the current cold reception of altcoins and the relative popularity of memes?
As an individual investor, you need to maintain a keen sense of the market and combine industry trends in your personal investment strategy. At present, my crypto investment portfolio covers mainstream assets such as BTC and ETH, as well as some high-quality altcoins and emerging track projects.
BGB has a special place in my investment. It is not just an investment product, but more like a partner that grows with us. Its value growth also represents the markets recognition of us. This positive feedback can also motivate the team to keep moving forward.
Regarding the current market trend, the recent cooling of altcoins is mainly affected by the macro environment, capital flows and market sentiment. In contrast, the popularity of Meme coins reflects the change in short-term capital preferences. Especially driven by community culture and market sentiment, Meme assets can often obtain excess returns at a specific stage. But in the long run, high-quality projects will still stand out with technological innovation and practical application value. In the current market environment, investors should pay attention to short-term market sentiment and do a good job of risk management.
8. What is the most popular track in the encryption field at present? How do you view the subsequent market trend?
I have been paying attention to the structural changes and long-term growth opportunities in the crypto market. Currently, the areas I am most concerned about include the derivatives market, institutional trading, and the combination of AI and blockchain.
In the derivatives market, the contract trading market is becoming more and more mature, and the participation of institutions and professional traders is also increasing. Bitget has been optimizing product experience to meet increasingly complex trading needs.
In terms of institutional trading, with the launch of BTC spot ETFs, more and more traditional financial institutions are entering the crypto market. In the future, compliance, liquidity management and professional-level trading tools will become new growth points. As the industry matures, the regulatory framework will become clearer, providing a more secure market entry environment for more institutional investors.
As for the combination of AI and blockchain, the application of AI in intelligent trading, data analysis and security risk control is changing the crypto industry. In the future, the potential of AI in smart contracts, automated trading and anti-fraud is also worth paying attention to.
9. How do you balance your life and work? What is your daily schedule? What are your hobbies?
Rather than work-life balance, work-life integration is more in line with my situation. My job is not fixed from 9 to 6, and work and life are often intertwined.
Golf is my favorite sport. Interestingly, my golfing partners are almost all clients I have known for more than three years, and we have become friends over the years. I introduce them to golf, which brings us closer. At work, we also support each other, and it feels great to see each other achieve success. In a sense, this is also a part of my work that I enjoy very much.
In addition to golf, every weekend, I also cook for my family and research new dishes. I think researching new cuisines and investing in crypto assets are similar, such as requiring enough patience and finding a recipe that suits you and adjusting it according to your needs and tastes. Although my level is average, every meal I make always brings me a sense of accomplishment, especially when I can share it with my family and bring them high-quality company.
I like to joke with my teammates and keep a relaxed atmosphere. Although I am busy at work, I switch up my pace occasionally to keep a relaxed attitude. I am also very grateful for my familys understanding and support. My wife and son are my biggest motivation, so I will try to make time to accompany them on weekends or in my free time to enjoy high-quality family time.
I believe that true efficiency is not just about being devoted to work, but also about knowing how to switch the pace and find your own balance between fast and slow.
10. As a person who has gone from being an individual investor to a manager, if there are young people who want to join the crypto industry or engage in trading-related work, what suggestions or advice do you have?
The crypto industry is different from traditional finance. It is not only an emerging asset class, but also a new financial paradigm. If you want to gain a foothold in this industry, it is crucial to maintain curiosity. You need to constantly learn new technologies and new models, be willing to break the inherent cognition, and adapt to the rapid changes in the market.
In trading, practice is definitely more important than theory. The market does not follow the rules in the textbooks. Real growth is accumulated through repeated actual combat. My advice is: start with small transactions, build your own strategy, and pay more attention to data rather than emotions. Trading is not gambling. Long-term success depends on understanding and controlling risks.
In addition, finding the right circle is also very important. Whether it is through mentors, trading communities, or joining industry companies, communicating with experienced people can help you grow faster. This industry is developing very fast, and walking with excellent people can help you find your own advantages and direction faster.
The most important point is to embrace uncertainty. The crypto market is very volatile, but every challenge is accompanied by opportunities. Be patient, keep learning, and do a good job of risk control, and you will find your place in this industry.
