Exclusive Interview with GMGN Co-founder Haze "Chicken Brother": Stay Sharp and Focus on Long-termism with the Team

Interview: Tian Daxia, Ru7; Written by: Tian Daxia

In the world of blockchain, the rise and fall of trends is like the tide, speculators flock in, and hot money circulates like a wave, creating myths of overnight wealth while burying countless dreams.

Some are intoxicated by short-term arbitrage, chasing the next wave of trends; others choose to be patient, seeking long-term value amidst the noise. Haze, the co-founder of GMGN, wants to be the latter.

Haze, known as "Brother Chicken" in the community, was born in the 1980s. Compared to many post-2000 entrepreneurs in the Web3 industry, he possesses a bit more composure and experience. Growing up in Hunan, the waters of the Xiang River endowed him with the unique resilience and adventurous spirit of Hunanese, as well as a keen sense of opportunity.

Today, we will write about the story of Haze "Brother Chicken" and GMGN. Brother Chicken himself is reluctant to share photos, so here’s a Twitter avatar (X: @haze0x)

No matter how big the community, there’s still a "9 to 5"

Before starting GMGN, Brother Chicken lived a standard 9 to 5 life like most people. He said at that time he had no grand ambitions and wasn’t a technical genius; he just wanted to make money.

"Back then, I thought work was just about finishing tasks and getting paid, and that was life."

Around the end of 2017, by chance, he saw a report about Bitcoin in the news. Although he didn’t understand the specific uses of Bitcoin at the time, he instinctively felt it was an opportunity worth trying.

In 2018, driven by interest, he joined a quantitative trading company specializing in grid trading, beginning to systematically learn about blockchain and quantitative trading. This experience deepened his understanding of the blockchain industry and laid the foundation for his later entrepreneurial endeavors.

By June 2023, the Meme Coin market had not yet exploded, but Brother Chicken observed the development trend of Meme Coins while trading on Ethereum.

Thus, GMGN.Ai was born, a platform focused on tracking and analyzing Meme tokens.

Brother Chicken explained that the name GMGN is derived from the abbreviation for "Good Morning, Good Night," symbolizing the team's desire to provide round-the-clock service to users.

The PvP Culture Created by Meme

At that time, Meme Coins had not yet become mainstream in this cycle; many even thought it was just a "flash in the pan" hype, but Brother Chicken's view was completely different.

In his opinion, Bitcoin was initially a peer-to-peer cash payment system, USDT became the mainstream tool for cross-border payments, and Ethereum opened a new era for asset issuance. Meme Coins can be seen as an upgrade in the efficiency of blockchain asset issuance.

"It has low costs, high efficiency, and can quickly issue assets by combining hot topics and emotions. This is not just a segment of blockchain; it is the ultimate embodiment of asset issuance methods."

Brother Chicken noted that the previous cycle's hype around VC coins and application coins has been disproven by the market, and new investment thinking and user groups are emerging. Young users are not very interested in traditional "fundamental analysis" hype logic; instead, they focus more on community resonance and entertainment value.

It is this entertainment value that has created the PvP culture of this cycle.

The "PvP culture in the crypto world" refers to a competitive and game-like phenomenon centered around "Player versus Player" (PvP) in the cryptocurrency space. This culture is mainly reflected in the interactions between participants through trading, speculation, and project competition.

Because of this culture, terms like "P players" have emerged, widely used in the Chinese community, typically referring to small investors or high-frequency players who are active in on-chain trading (especially meme coins or low market cap tokens).

Brother Chicken believes that new trading tools might make the chip structure of Meme Coins more transparent and fair, enhancing the trading experience.

By analyzing market sentiment, infrastructure, and changes in user demographics, Brother Chicken had a premonition of a potential explosion in the Meme Coin market, leading to the birth of GMGN to address these pain points. In 2024, as the Meme Coin market fully exploded, GMGN quickly gained widespread favor in the market due to its efficient, stable trading functions and user-friendly design. Many users successfully participated in early Meme Coin projects through GMGN and reaped substantial rewards, making GMGN a focal point in the industry.

Pretending to be an E-person, Forced to Engage in Community Building

Don’t be fooled by Brother Chicken's active presence on Twitter; he is a pure I-person. The team needs to operate and make their voices heard, and he jokingly says he must "pretend" to be very cool and "E to the max" to do marketing.

His MBTI is INTJ - A, rational, independent, strong strategic thinking, and high execution, but the E-person element is also forced out.

Brother Chicken admits, "During team dinners, we basically don’t talk. Most of our company was technical, and it was very quiet if we didn’t drink; it felt awkward to speak."

Everyone knows that in the Meme Coin circle, the atmosphere is extremely important, and Brother Chicken gradually found some methods that suited him.

In April and May, after GMGN launched, Brother Chicken said he promoted it on Twitter, and user feedback indicated that the dashboard feature was very practical. They could use this feature to delve into smart money addresses, analyze the operations of large holders, and conduct address assessments and data analysis.

During this phase, GMGN gradually accumulated a group of seed users. With these users, product updates and iterations became more aligned with actual needs.

Brother Chicken said that what truly made GMGN widely recognized was the "mouse warehouse" feature. This feature was inspired by user feedback and our direct observations.

"With on-chain asset data being so transparent, we believe we should better utilize this transparency."

I Read "The Art of War," Product Managers Read "Tao Te Ching"

Some believe GMGN should raise funds aggressively when it’s hottest and then grow strong, but GMGN has clearly chosen the opposite path.

Brother Chicken candidly stated that the team’s goal is not to quickly accumulate capital and cash out, but to improve products around core users, controlling manpower scale and product boundaries. He emphasized that if the goal is merely to hit the trend and quickly arbitrage, then indeed, one should raise valuations, fundraise, and issue platform tokens at high points.

"Our team’s core values are consistent; everyone believes that getting things done is more important than making money. We encourage team members to continuously learn and grow; for example, product managers read Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" and share insights at weekly meetings. We focus more on members' self-growth and cognitive iteration rather than short-term economic benefits."

He himself is immersed in "The Art of War," pondering how to achieve victory through unconventional means. But he also jokingly remarked on social media, "Our product manager often takes advantage of me! He loves reading 'Laozi,' while I read 'Sunzi.'"

GMGN values community opinions and user questions and feedback.

"If a user misunderstands us and is nearby, I will fly over for face-to-face communication."

He mentioned that recently an overseas user raised questions about GMGN, and coincidentally, this user was in Hong Kong, so he immediately flew to Hong Kong and had an in-depth conversation for several hours. Such exchanges can be seen as a two-way effort, allowing users to better understand GMGN and ensuring product evolution resonates with user needs.

"I think being deeply involved on the front lines is very important; user feedback not only enhances my understanding but also helps us improve the product."

Brother Chicken admitted that they also pay attention to safety contingency plans. In his view, the blockchain industry changes too rapidly, and attack methods are constantly emerging. Rather than presuming hypothetical enemies, it is better to maintain the ability to respond flexibly.

"We won’t spend too much energy hypothesizing who the opponents are; instead, we focus on how to respond quickly and solve problems."

This "countering strategy" is reflected not only in safety but also throughout GMGN's entire product development process.

He emphasized that the team's core goal is always to improve infrastructure and product functions. Infrastructure needs to be more stable, smoother, and faster, while product functions should continuously improve based on user needs.

The Work and Life of P Player Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, Brother Chicken said there are no clear boundaries between his life and work.

"Work and life gradually merge." He said that although he tries to spend time with his children on weekends, he does not believe that work and life need to be completely separated.

He mentioned that in his twenties, his self-definition was still quite vague; he just wanted to excel in work, pursuing user operations and user growth. At that time, the goal was simple—making money.

But now, the biggest change is a clearer self-definition. He no longer focuses solely on money but values getting things done more. Rapid wealth and accomplishing tasks are hard to achieve simultaneously, and he prefers to choose the latter.

"I don’t have a windfall; all my achievements come from gradual accumulation through hard work. So, I constantly redefine myself to confirm what I am actually doing."

I jokingly asked him when he would retire, and he mentioned that their product manager is even older than him, but it seems everyone is prepared to keep going.

"As long as there are ideas and passion, I will continue to work. Age is not a limitation; thinking and understanding are key."

Don’t be fooled by Brother Chicken being born in the 1980s; he is also a rap enthusiast, from Eminem to Kendrick Lamar, from Trap to Memphis Rap. This shows why he can integrate into the post-2000 P player circle, as he has a youthful mindset. This appreciation and love for diverse cultures subtly influence his understanding of products and innovation.

Regarding GMGN's future, his goal is very clear—continue to delve into on-chain trading and achieve excellence. He firmly believes that the team will not blindly expand its business but will focus on the areas they are best at, refining every detail to perfection.

He said, "Rap makes me constantly feel sharp, and working with the team, we also hope to maintain that sharpness."

In music, he pursues breaking boundaries and releasing passion; in GMGN's development, he demonstrates strong rationality and agility. This seemingly contradictory trait perfectly merges in him, creating an image that is both interesting and reliable.

"From $0 to $10 Million Meme Operation Guide"

Previously, GMGN collaborated with several well-known KOLs— including @0xcryptowizard, @CryptoDevinL, @BTCdayu, @0xSunNFT, @hexiecs, @corleonefnf, @Unipioneer, and @yuyue_chris—to complete a "From $0 to $10 Million Meme Operation Guide."

This guide not only encapsulates the professional experience of the GMGN team but also gathers practical insights from several industry experts, making it a "encyclopedia" in the field of Meme Coins. Download link: https://docs.gmgn.ai/cn/gmgn-meme-jiao-yi-zhi-nan Today, GMGN is gradually emerging in the blockchain industry, and Brother Chicken has steadily grown from an ordinary entrepreneur to a highly regarded figure in the industry. In his view, the world of blockchain has just begun, and countless possibilities await exploration.

For Haze Brother Chicken, blockchain is not just a career but a belief. He believes that through technological advancement and community efforts, blockchain will ultimately change the way the world operates.

He and GMGN are willing to play the role of long-term value creators in this transformation, rather than short-term speculators.

As he often says, "Right now, we are just on the trend; we still need to be cautious and do things well."