Crypto Market Observer x Teddy: When AI Employees Urge Me to Rest Late at Night, I See the Future
- Core Viewpoint: The convergence of Web3 and AI is fostering a new paradigm of productivity. The AI-driven "one-person company" model will reshape the industry. The key lies in leveraging AI tools to address real needs while remaining vigilant about the security risks accompanying emerging technologies.
- Key Elements:
- On a practical level, AI can achieve up to 5 times the efficiency of human employees in basic execution tasks. It is deeply integrated into processes like development and testing, forming a new organizational model of "one person + a team of AIs".
- The core intersection of AI and Web3 lies in transactions and payments. Future AI "Skills" will replace traditional Apps, becoming the new entry point for traffic.
- Current security issues in the AI industry resemble those of early DeFi. Prompt injection attacks, API key management, and AI Agent permission controls are significant vulnerabilities.
- AI cannot replace the human "soul"—independent thinking, intuitive judgment, and personal traits. These will be the most valuable assets in the future.
- Advice for newcomers: Web3 has a relatively lower barrier to entry, presenting an opportunity for ordinary people. One should avoid leverage and focus on building a personal brand.
From researching Bitcoin in Silicon Valley in 2015, to going all-in on blockchain and founding Biteye, a leading research community in the DeFi era in 2020, to now founding XHunt, an AI-driven KOL influence platform. Teddy has steadily ridden each wave of the times, like a "super individual" constantly testing new species in a lab. In his view, how the narrative changes isn't important; what matters is: when a generational leap in production methods occurs, are you standing closest to the new tools.
In this episode of "Market Observer", we invited Teddy, founder of XHunt & Biteye. I talked with him about: When Web3 meets AI, how can a true Builder overcome anxiety and formulate strategy? What's the real experience of using the wildly popular OpenClaw for Vibe Coding? Are AI employees really that useful now? And in the AI era, what is the most essential human trait that should never be lost?
Host: yuanyuan, BitMart Marketing VP
Guest: DeFiTeddy, Founder of XHunt & Biteye
(Episode listening link: https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/episodes/69dc52e3b977fb2c47c6c1e3 )
From Buying His First Bitcoin to Building XHunt: Entering the Game Because He Saw Disruption
Teddy has always been highly risk-averse. When he bought his first Bitcoin in Silicon Valley in 2015, he was still observing. It wasn't until the DeFi explosion in 2020, with its complete restructuring of traditional finance, that he felt the excitement brought by "disruption." However, going all-in on blockchain wasn't entirely unexpected for someone with a background in tech and fintech from his early days in Silicon Valley.
From doing DeFi research and writing his own content, to founding the DeFi community Biteye (which also secured funding), to launching XHunt earlier this year, his path hasn't been about chasing narratives or hype. Instead, he focuses on building products that solve real user needs.
For Teddy, working on AI now isn't because AI is trendy, but because he discovered AI can better help him solve the problems he wants to address in Web3. That's the most practical application scenario. Therefore, Biteye now provides deep content insights in an era of information overload. XHunt tackles the quantification of KOL influence and the improvement of content production efficiency.
AI Advises Me to "Call It a Day" Like a Real Person in the Middle of the Night
When discussing models, Teddy's sharing is full of practical experience. The general direction is using AI to assist work versus daily companionship:
- Claude is strong at coding; it's the only model that occasionally refuses commands.
- Codex is quite powerful for production/programming.
- Gemini has more balanced capabilities across the board; its text is more nuanced, making conversations feel more human-like.
- Grok is full of Musk's influence, combining X information, with more focus on AI, Web3, and AI news.
- Seedance produces higher quality images and videos.
- ChatGPT had his account inexplicably banned after verifying a Hong Kong organization, with funds locked and all memory lost, leading to a certain level of "trust crisis" for him now.
Regarding AI anxiety, Teddy believes it mainly stems from three aspects:
1. People around are learning too fast.
2. Companies fear being left behind if they don't transform with AI.
3. AI is also competing with Web3 for business, capital, talent, and attention.
Teddy is already restructuring his business around AI, but this takes time. His team is already deeply practicing the "one person + a group of AIs" organizational model. AI is no longer just for writing copy but is deeply embedded in Code Review, deployment, and testing processes.
Besides having AI employees develop through Vibe Coding, he often discusses philosophy with them and explores company strategy together. One night at 11:30 PM, his AI assistant suddenly said to him: "Chairman, maybe let's call it a day for now, you should go rest." Such human-like moments often make him feel the AI he's developing is a living "person."
Although it can sometimes act like a child with broken logic in strategic decision-making, get stuck in dead ends, be stubborn, or produce many bugs, at the basic execution level, AI has already demonstrated a dimensionality-reducing boost in productivity. In Teddy's words, the efficiency improvement is roughly 5x that of a human employee.
AI Skills Are the New Gateway to the Future of Web3
Skills are similar to apps in Web2. Regarding the integration of AI and Web3, Teddy believes the most direct explosive point lies in trading and payments.
He predicts that future AI won't just be chat windows but will evolve into individual Skills. In the future, we might not need to manually open various apps; just one command, and the Skill in the background will automatically complete orders or transfers for us. This is why leading trading platforms are all competing to build their own trading Skills (for example, BitMart's trading Skills are already live). Because in the future, whoever can be invoked by AI will be the true traffic gateway.
AI Security, Overlooked Like Early DeFi
AI security is crucial, first involving asset isolation, and secondly, important data should not be stored on computers where AI is installed. Teddy reminds everyone that the current AI industry is very similar to early DeFi; everyone is rushing into innovation while overlooking security. "Before we had to guard against smart contract vulnerabilities, now we have to guard against prompt injection attacks." He believes that the permission openness of AI Agents and the management of API Keys are huge hidden dangers. Once AI can directly execute transfers and manipulate assets, if security defenses don't keep up, losses could be more severe than DeFi hacks.
Advice for Newcomers: Preserve Your "Soul" in the AI Era
For young people wanting to enter the crypto space or learn AI, Teddy suggests they can first ask AI how to learn AI; it's the simplest and most direct method. He also offers three pieces of advice:
- Avoid Leverage: This is a highly speculative market where principal can go to zero; surviving is more important than anything.
- Web3 is Still an Opportunity for Ordinary People to Succeed: Compared to the AI field, currently dominated by giants burning money, Web3 has lower barriers to entry and is fairer. If you're willing to delve deep, even college students have a chance to break out.
- Build a Personal Brand: This is the era of IP. Whether in Web3 or AI, a personal brand is the only asset that never goes out of style.
AI will indeed replace junior programmers, customer service, and many repetitive jobs, but it cannot replace the human "soul." Teddy believes that personal human traits, independent thinking not brainwashed by algorithms, and strategic judgment based on intuition will be the most valuable assets in the future.
"The era of one-person companies has arrived," Teddy said with excitement. What used to require dozens of programmers can now be done by one person plus a group of AI employees. As long as you have a good idea, this is the era with the greatest opportunity for ordinary people to succeed.
Conclusion
After talking with Teddy, the deepest impression is the sense of ease he exudes from having personally tried things out. He doesn't worry about whether AI will take someone's job; he just starts practicing. In the AI era where everything is accelerating, he still insists on starting from user needs. This grounding in common sense might be the true secret of "super individuals" crossing cycles.
Teddy revealed in the interview that they will launch a Skill in a few weeks, almost 100% written by AI, targeting practical operational scenarios. It's a tool with extremely high accuracy requirements for real-world use. When ultimate geek spirit meets AI productivity, we are very much looking forward to its performance upon launch.
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Recording date of this episode: March 31, 2026
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Risk Warning
The opinions or views expressed in this column represent the personal stance of the guest only and do not represent the views of BitMart or its affiliates, nor should they be considered professional financial investment advice.
Cryptocurrency investment is highly speculative and carries significant risk of loss. Past performance, hypothetical scenarios, or simulation results do not guarantee future returns. The value of digital currencies may fluctuate, and buying, holding, or trading digital currencies may involve substantial risks. Before participating in trading or holding digital currencies, please carefully assess their suitability based on your own investment objectives, financial situation, and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal, or tax advice.
