Meta's former employee dives into the "crypto rabbit hole": A survival guide for investing amid meme chaos
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Meta's former employee dives into the "crypto rabbit hole": A survival guide for investing amid meme chaos
The lifecycle of most memes is like a fashion trend, with new fads emerging each year and older memes gradually fading out.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: BitpushNews
After quitting his job at tech giant Meta, Justin has gone full-time into the crypto space. As an entrepreneur and Crypto Degen, he's not only successfully backed popular assets like PEPE, Degen, and TRUMP, building an impressive track record, but also gained invaluable experience through repeated market fluctuations.
In this exclusive interview with Bitpush, Justin shares his journey from Meta to Crypto, diving deep into meme coin investment strategies, current market conditions, and future trends. Packed with actionable insights, this article offers valuable takeaways for both meme coin beginners and seasoned players. Highly recommended!
Part One: From Big Tech to the Crypto Rabbit Hole
You left Meta to focus fully on memes and crypto—how did your family and friends react? What do they think about meme coins?
Justin: I’m more of a crypto degen than someone who "quit big tech to start a company." Even before joining Meta, I’d already decided to go all-in on crypto long-term. But I felt I needed more technical and team collaboration experience, so I joined Meta. At the time, Meta still had a crypto team—many industry veterans were original members of the Libra project, the Move language team was active, and Instagram even had NFT features. But shortly after I joined, the bear market hit, and Meta shut down all blockchain-related initiatives, focusing instead on the metaverse and AI.
While working at Meta, I converted most of my salary and stock into crypto. In my spare time, I experimented across DeFi, NFTs, SocialFi, and meme projects. In 2023, we organized the first large-scale Blockchain + AI conference in New York targeting the Chinese community, inviting many prominent projects. These experiences greatly helped my later entrepreneurial efforts.
My family doesn’t fully understand crypto, but they fully support me. My dad even searches news articles himself—whenever Doge or Trump coins go viral, he comes asking, “Did you buy any?” It’s kind of cute.
Do they support your full commitment to crypto?
Justin: They were hesitant at first. Leaving Meta’s great benefits for such an uncertain industry is risky. But life is about choices—you can't chase alpha while clinging to stable income. I explained the long-term potential of crypto, and eventually they respected my decision. My dad even asked me to help him buy some Bitcoin.
Have you made or lost money on meme coins? How do people around you view that?
Justin: Overall, I’ve made money—but I’ve lost on more meme coins than I’ve won. My core strategy is to go all-in when I believe in a meme. For example, Pepe in 2023, Degen in 2024, and Trump in 2025. Even if most memes go to zero, hitting just a few big ones is enough to turn things around.
I've seen many friends adopt a “spray and pray” approach—buying small amounts in every trending meme. Sure, they might catch a 100x, but with such scattered positions, their overall returns are usually mediocre. Their wallets end up full of dead coins.
Before entering the meme space, did you make any mistakes?
Justin: Meme investing is a multidisciplinary field—it involves understanding trends, emotions, culture, and self-awareness, all interconnected. The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the past two years is that markets have far more ways to make you lose money than you can imagine.
Part Two: Current State of Meme Coins
CZ posted a dog photo that boosted BNB Chain memes—what do you and your friends think about that?
Justin: CZ noticed the trend in on-chain trading volume and wanted to leverage it to boost BNB Chain activity. But the community response was mixed. Since he didn’t officially endorse one specific Broccoli as the “real” version, hundreds of clones instantly appeared, scamming retail investors and fragmenting liquidity.
From a marketing perspective, it worked—the BNB ecosystem definitely got more attention. But retail sentiment depends on whether people made money, and many lost out, leading to widespread backlash. This tactic generates short-term buzz but could damage user trust in the long run.
Does the BNB ecosystem still have a chance to see another meme boom?
Justin: Definitely possible, but there’s a long way to go. The infrastructure can’t keep up with meme trading demands—transaction speed, tools, stability—all lagging. Solana and Base went through multiple iterations to achieve smooth user experiences. BNB clearly wasn’t ready this time—Pancake and Binance Wallet suffered severe lag, high slippage, and poor stability, making trading difficult for many users.
Beyond infrastructure, BNB needs its own breakout moment instead of copying other chains. Solana succeeded with Pump.fun, which standardized meme issuance, aggregated liquidity, and fueled a whole ecosystem of trading tools. BNB needs something similar. I think AI could be the key—especially AI applications. Chinese developers excel in this area. If we can build an AI-era “Pump.fun,” it could revitalize the entire ecosystem.
Argentina’s president Milei promoted a meme coin, then rug-pulled and walked away—what’s your take?
Justin: Milei probably saw the meme hype around Trump and other celebrity coins and thought he could combine crypto to boost Argentina’s economy and raise funds for private enterprises. His team (KIP) may have offered him a revenue share. But he likely didn’t anticipate being scammed himself—when the token crashed and social media backlash exploded, he quickly deleted his posts to distance himself.
How do crypto traders or VCs around you view this incident?
Justin: Many top on-chain traders and founders lost heavily—collectively over $10 million. People are furious at Milei for deleting his post because national leadership endorsement gave them confidence to go big. But crypto is a casino—every piece of information affects decisions. The real question is whether you can anticipate and respond to new information. When Milei deleted his post, would you cut losses or double down?
The key is not letting loss aversion cloud your judgment—don’t try to “make back” losses by chasing bottoms. Instead, analyze the situation calmly, just as you would when he first tweeted. Trading means taking responsibility for your decisions.
Will “national endorsements” become the new normal for meme coins?
Justin: If the next 3–4 national meme coins follow the same pattern—“launch, pump, crash to zero”—this model collapses. People who’ve lost money won’t jump in again, and other countries will hesitate to try. To sustain long-term success, these projects need viable economic models and repeatable mechanics. Otherwise, they’ll end up like NFTs—briefly hot, then collapsing.
Part Three: How Should Regular Users Approach Memes?
Many meme coin investors say they “know it’s gambling, but can’t resist jumping in.” What do you think about this mindset?
Justin: Meme coins offer a thrilling sense of “underdog triumph,” similar to what draws people to casinos—but with far more extreme volatility, making casinos seem dull by comparison. Despite most people losing in the end, stories of 100x or 1000x gains fuel the belief that “I could be next.” Even after losses, FOMO keeps them coming back.
But rushing in blindly won’t last. Only those who rush in with a strategy survive longer. Real traders carefully pick high-probability opportunities instead of going all-in on every meme. They also set clear take-profit and stop-loss rules to avoid being swayed by market emotions.
If I’m an average investor, how can I tell which meme coins have potential and which are pure scams?
Justin: Due to time constraints, I rarely sit at my computer monitoring newly launched memes or participating in pre-launch phases. So I prefer mid-to-long-term memes with lifespans beyond just hours. This requires evaluating narrative strength, token distribution, risk-reward ratio, and viral potential.
Narrative
For narrative assessment, two factors matter: reach and resonance. First, does the story reach a wide audience? Second, does it emotionally resonate with them? A niche narrative might work, but has limited upside. Conversely, well-known IPs aren’t always good memes if people don’t feel connected. Both elements are essential.
Token Distribution
You need to spot signs of manipulation. Typically, whale wallets appear in the Top 100, so dig deep into these addresses—especially during consolidation phases, when whales often accumulate.
Market maker wallets should be analyzed for transaction frequency. Their roles include offloading tokens at high prices, accumulating during dips, gradually raising the floor price, and transferring supply from weak hands to diamond hands and large holders.
Trading volume is another key indicator. I use the ratio of trading volume to market cap—if it consistently stays above 1, it suggests strong ongoing manipulation.
Address tracking: Whenever I identify a manipulated project, I save the wallet addresses. Reusing them later is like tracking smart money.
Risk-Reward Ratio
You need to estimate a target price based on narrative potential. For example, PNUT might be a $1B narrative, while Trump could be $100B. Comparing current market cap to your target helps determine whether it’s worth investing and how much to allocate. For instance, a recent narrative I like, Dogshit2, I believe can reach at least a $100M valuation from its current $2M—offering 50x upside—so I’m allocating accordingly based on conviction.
Virality
You must quickly assess who’s talking about the token on Twitter and map out potential spread paths—predicting which circles or KOLs might pick it up next. This requires familiarity with core meme KOLs. Tools like Katio or The1 can help evaluate influencer impact and gauge viral potential.
Many meme experts have compiled excellent guides. I recommend checking the GMGN & On-Chain Experts’ Guide: From $0 to $10 Million in Meme Investing, which offers deep analysis on selecting meme assets and corresponding take-profit/stop-loss strategies. It’s a highly practical resource. GMGN: From 0 to 10 Million USD Meme Operation Guide.pdf
How do you personally evaluate a meme project? Do you have take-profit or stop-loss rules?
Justin: Evaluating a meme involves several stages: information gathering → assessment → investment → profit-taking/stopping out.
Information Gathering: Use diverse, high-quality sources. I participate in core on-chain player groups, follow top-tier KOLs on Twitter and Telegram, ensuring I catch quality projects early. I also monitor on-chain signals to avoid missing potential opportunities.
Rapid Assessment: Once a promising meme appears, act fast. Shared Twitter connections are a powerful signal—but only if your Twitter network is well-curated with quality KOLs and trusted sources. This is crucial for judging project quality. Then apply the earlier framework—evaluate narrative, token distribution, and risk-reward—to decide whether and how much to invest.
Take-Profit/Stop-Loss Strategy: My rule is to recover cost at 2x or 3x, then scale out the remainder based on ideal valuation targets. Memes move too fast for rigid rules—I adjust dynamically based on market sentiment. For example, Milei suddenly deleting his tweet was unpredictable. In such cases, immediate stop-loss is critical—no hesitation.
If you could give three survival tips to meme investors, what would they be?
Justin: 1. Learn to assess a topic’s emotional appeal, virality, staying power, and cyclical potential. Whether a meme takes off depends not just on the story, but on whether the emotion can sustain momentum.
2. If you believe in a meme’s narrative, distribution, and risk-reward, go big—don’t blindly diversify. Over-diversification may prevent big wins, leaving you with nothing but pocket change despite all the effort.
3. Losses are part of success. Analyze every loss deeply, summarize lessons, and apply them to your next trade. True experts aren’t those who never lose, but those who learn from every mistake and continuously refine their strategy.
Part Four: Where Is Meme Going Next?
Do you think meme coin hype has peaked, or will we see even crazier innovations ahead?
Justin: I believe we’ll definitely see even wilder innovations than Pump.fun. Meme culture runs throughout human history—long before blockchains, people loved jokes and cultural references, a fundamental source of joy. Blockchain simply enables faster creation and spread, allowing an IP to explode overnight—something traditional media can’t match.
I believe social media, news, and memes will become increasingly intertwined. Imagine if every news event or trending topic had its own meme—what would that world look like? Future meme ecosystems may go beyond trading, becoming consensus carriers for real-time events, enabling more direct public participation. That would be fascinating—and possibly the next big opportunity.
If you had to predict the 2025 meme market, do you think it will stay hot?
Justin: Not only will memes remain hot in 2025—they’ll be a permanent fixture in the market. Memes have become the new language of news, trends, and culture, using price to凝聚 consensus.
New events will keep emerging, pop culture will evolve, and public figures will continue rising—each year bringing new trends. To seize opportunities in memes, you must stay sensitive to global developments across technology, culture, fashion, and politics.
Each domain will produce its own leading meme. Investors can focus on areas they understand best, leverage their strengths, and confidently seize opportunities when the right meme emerges.
Do you think meme ecosystems could ever become “valuable long-term assets”?
Justin: To understand memes, recognize they’re information with inherent virality. A meme’s success depends on whether its underlying content—culture, joke, news, figure—can rapidly gather attention and spread. It’s similar to trending topics, except memes are measured by trading volume and market cap, while trends rely on post volume and views.
To judge a meme’s long-term value, ask: Does its core message have lasting or cyclical relevance? For example:
Doge gets mentioned by Musk periodically and ties into U.S. government efficiency debates, giving it enduring discussion value—making Doge a long-term meme.
PNUT, by contrast, has explosive short-term virality, but it’s hard to foresee future scenarios where it reignites—so its long-term viability is low.
Currently, only a few memes have lasting value. Most are short-lived trends without re-ignition potential. Their lifecycle resembles fashion—new trends emerge each year, old memes fade. Thus, the meme ecosystem will keep evolving, but only a rare few will become true long-term assets.
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