dYdX Founder: Crypto Industry Should “Give Up” On US Markets

dYdX founder Antonio Juliano has suggested that the crypto space should “give up” on the US markets for the next five to ten years and focus on other markets.

Juliano argued that crypto projects could scale faster by not serving the US markets because they would not have to deal with a hostile regulatory climate. 

Prioritize Markets Outside The US 

In a thread posted on X on the 25th of August, Juliano put forward his argument that builders in the crypto space must look to prioritizing markets and customers outside of the United States. He added that doing so will ensure the project’s growth, given that developers will face fewer regulatory hurdles and will be able to focus on user adoption and platform growth. Juliano primarily addressed startup projects rather than fully established players and emphasized that they could scale faster overseas in friendlier markets. 

“Crypto builders should just give up serving US customers for now and try to re-enter in 5-10 years. It’s not really worth the hassle/compromises. Most of the market is overseas anyway. Innovate there, find PMF [product market fit], then come back with more leverage. The only thing that matters for all of us is crypto finding 10x stronger product market fit.”

He further added, 

“In the grand scheme of things, barely anyone uses or cares about crypto today. I personally don’t care about any outcome except growing crypto 100x+ long term.”

Lack Of Clear Rules A Major Concern 

Many in the crypto space have stated that the United States needs more clarity when it comes to rules and regulations around crypto. A key example of this need for more clarity is the gray area surrounding the jurisdiction of the United States Securities Exchange (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over the crypto space. The United States government has continued to drag its heels on crypto regulations, and the dYdX founder has suggested that the crypto space needs to grow further in order to have greater sway over US policy. 

Juliano argued that it makes more sense for startups and builders to focus on finding product market fits overseas before returning to the US with the added leverage of large user bases. 

“This does not mean crypto US policy work is not important. It absolutely is, as it takes a really long time (must be ready for the re-entry), and much of the world will follow the US’s lead. Crypto not yet having world-scale usage/product market fit means we don’t yet have much influence in policy. We need to have products with massive usage where users (voters) say, ‘wait, I need this.’”

A Different Perspective 

The CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, responded to the post and offered a different perspective to the argument. Armstrong struck a much more optimistic note, stating that the situation would get better in due time. 

“I see your point – but I think it will be better in a much shorter time. Probably by next year, if I had to guess. The US always gets it right after exhausting every other option. It will heal from these wounds, no matter how hard a small group of people try to stop progress.”

Antonio responded with similar optimism but highlighted in his reply that the situation is different for fully scaled businesses and startups. 

“I’m optimistic! And we’re helping our small part with policy, too. I just think it’s different for startups vs. scaled businesses. If you haven’t yet found a strong product market fit, the tradeoff to move faster & more freely seems worth the somewhat smaller market size.”

Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy also chimed in, agreeing with Juliano’s view, stating things would get better in 2-3 years, or never if not. 

Lack Of Regulatory Clarity Hurting US 

The ambiguity regarding regulations only hurts the US markets as big crypto firms look at other markets with regulatory clarity. Coinbase has made several efforts to influence crypto policy in the US. However, the firm is also expanding its global footprint, establishing operations in Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy. Additionally, it is also considering a permanent move to the UK or Dubai. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is also attempting to be regulated in the UK. This comes despite the UK regulator issuing a ban on the exchange. 

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.