If you know a little bit about blockchain, you have probably heard of the name Justin Sun. If not? You must know TRON, which is known as the "high-performance public chain" in the blockchain world. This guy is a typical post-90s entrepreneurial "genius" and a controversial figure. His story is quite interesting.
Justin Sun has been a "child of other people's families" since he was young. After graduating from Peking University, he went to the United States to get a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. His background looks very strong. But his highlight moment is not academic, but business. The first social software he made was called "Pair Me", which was quite interesting and attracted many users by voice chatting with strangers. Later, blockchain became popular, and he directly entered this blue ocean and created TRON.
To be honest, Sun Yuchen has a good eye for trends. He saw the congestion issue with Ethereum at the time and proposed that Tron should create a 'high-performance, high-throughput' blockchain, attracting a large number of users and developers. Is it just hot air? Of course not, his promotional tactics are indeed exceptional. One classic instance was when he spent $4.56 million to win a charity lunch with Buffett, making it known across the internet. Once this news broke, he instantly became a hot topic.
However, Sun Yuchen has had his share of failures. When TRX first launched, he boasted wildly, claiming he would create a decentralized internet, but in reality, a large amount of the code was questioned as being copied from Ethereum and Filecoin. That’s not all; he often rode the trends on social media, such as claiming to make 'charitable donations' during the pandemic, only to later be exposed for not donating as much as he claimed. As a result, some called him a 'fraud', labeling him the 'marketing master' of the blockchain world.
There was also a major incident when he 'canceled' his lunch with Buffett, claiming it was due to health reasons, but later it was rumored he was 'restricted from leaving the country', which sparked a lot of speculation. Eventually, he did manage to have the meal with Buffett, but this farce certainly damaged some of his credibility.
Despite the controversies, Sun Yuchen has indeed accomplished some things with Tron. He is not only involved in blockchain but also ventured into the 'metaverse' and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). He purchased digital artworks auctioned by Christie’s and announced that Tron aims to become the infrastructure for Web 3.0, which is quite ambitious.
Most surprisingly, his business acumen is extremely strong, always able to ride the waves. For example, in 2023, he was appointed as Grenada's ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), truly a cross-border life. Isn't that impressive?
Sun Yuchen is such a person—talented, savvy, and loves to 'grab attention' with his actions. Some say he is the 'Steve Jobs' of the blockchain world, while others call him a 'fraud'. What kind of person he really is can only be answered by time. But one thing is certain, Sun Yuchen and his TRX have indeed changed many people's perceptions of blockchain and injected unique vitality into the field.
In short, his story is like a reality show, with highlights, scandals, and even a bit of melodrama, but you have to admit, such a character is worth watching.