From personal investor to the Global Chief Sales Officer of Bitget, Intae Song shares his insights on the crypto market

This article reflects the author's personal views and does not represent the views of Wu Shuo.

1. How did you initially enter the crypto industry as a personal investor? What were the key opportunities or inspirations at that time?

What was the biggest challenge you faced during this process, and how did you overcome it?

The process of entering the crypto industry was not a one-time event. As a personal investor, I initially focused on some inefficiencies in the traditional financial system, particularly the settlement cycles in traditional financial markets and the barriers to cross-border payments. As I delved deeper into cryptocurrency technology and blockchain, I realized that it could not only solve these problems but also create entirely new ways of financial interaction. My interest in the potential of this technology led me to decide to fully commit to it.

One of the biggest challenges I faced during this process was how to cope with the high volatility of the crypto market and the noise of information within it. In the early days, I was also confused by some technical details, and extracting useful information for investment decisions from the noise was a significant challenge. Sometimes, extreme market emotions could lead one to blindly follow trends, and maintaining rationality to make long-term effective judgments was a problem I gradually overcame.

Ultimately, the method that helped me clarify my thoughts was to view the crypto industry through the lens of traditional investment analysis. Focusing on the fundamentals of projects and their practical applications, rather than blindly chasing market trends. This way of thinking helped me gradually distinguish between signals and noise, and it also solidified my belief in the crypto industry.

2. When you joined Bitget as an early employee, what was the team size and company atmosphere like at that time? Are there any startup stories that left a deep impression on you?

When I joined, Bitget was still a small team of fewer than 50 people. My department had only three people, and due to limited manpower, everyone wore multiple hats, but we shared a common belief—cryptocurrency can reshape traditional finance. Despite the steep learning curve in the industry, we maintained a spirit of pragmatism and pushed things forward. As is well known, the pace of change in the crypto industry is comparable to the speed of light, and in the early days of the startup, we were almost racing against time, not only to create products that met market demands but also to build a solid infrastructure to support massive trading volumes while continuously launching innovative features.

One memorable experience was during the early stages of the launch of Bitget's futures market. To troubleshoot a critical issue that "could prevent users from opening and closing positions smoothly during extreme market conditions," our team stayed late after work to debug and ensure a smooth launch as planned. Throughout the process, the team atmosphere was tense, but everyone supported each other and worked side by side, all to deliver on time. Besides technical issues, we also faced challenges in customer service. At that time, there were no dedicated customer service staff, so I personally handled a large number of user feedback. These experiences made me deeply realize that teamwork and flexibility are the keys to success.

The team culture at that time was intense but highly collaborative. We had a unified goal and a strong desire for growth and progress, as the entire industry was striving to earn market trust and recognition. I believe this mindset is still applicable today—always maintaining foresight, anticipating user needs, and actively shaping the industry we want to delve into.

3. What were your main responsibilities or contributions during Bitget's global expansion? What major challenges did you encounter?

Can you share a particularly memorable case when exploring new markets?

Successful exchanges have their own advantages, and one of my core responsibilities is to leverage Bitget's strengths through contract trading. However, pushing Bitget into different markets is not as simple as just launching contract trading. We also need to truly understand the cultural differences in each region, as these differences directly affect trading habits, and the regulatory requirements and licensing issues vary by region. If we recklessly enter a new market without understanding these factors, it could backfire; but if we act too slowly, we might miss the opportunity. Therefore, I need to work closely with the legal team while establishing connections locally to ensure our products meet local needs while adhering to global standards.

By gaining in-depth knowledge of various markets, we can tailor more suitable products for different regions instead of simply applying a “one-size-fits-all” model. Although there hasn't been any particularly standout event during the expansion process, the key lesson I learned is that successful market expansion depends on the right entry strategy, which cannot be achieved without close cooperation and coordination with relevant regulatory bodies.

4. What changes and upgrades have you experienced moving from sales manager to business partner and now to CSO? Can you introduce the specific responsibilities of these positions to the readers? What are the key focus areas moving forward?

Actually, my core responsibilities haven't changed much; I mainly focus on expanding Bitget's partnership network and sales opportunities. However, now my work scope has expanded to include a global dimension.