Interview with Bitget CEO Gracy: Cryptocurrency Doesn't Need the "Wall Street Elite" Persona, Bitcoin Should Enter Every Household

Author: Echo, MetaEra

In the male-dominated crypto industry, Gracy Chen is writing a different narrative with her unique career trajectory. From a reporter at Phoenix Finance to the CEO of Bitget, from an industry observer to a change-maker, this female CEO, who possesses both media insight and business execution ability, has led Bitget to rise against the trend in a bear market, bringing the exchange into the discussion of the "big three" within three years. This exclusive interview with MetaEra not only reveals the business logic behind Bitget's rapid growth but also showcases a female leader's deep thoughts on industry equality, talent strategy, and crypto inclusivity.

Key Insights

• We talk about equality, not feminism;
• We do not believe the crypto industry should adopt the high-and-mighty "Wall Street elite" stance. On the contrary, we firmly believe Bitcoin should enter the homes of ordinary people;
• We adhere to a results-oriented culture: as long as one can deliver actual results for the position, anyone can achieve significant development here.

Full Interview

MetaEra: In the widely circulated photo of the Hong Kong crypto OG dinner, you were the only woman present. Did you notice this at the time? How would you define your role in such a setting?

Gracy: At that time, I was not only the only woman but also the only person who entered the industry after 2020. I officially joined the industry in early 2022, and compared to those big shots who have been mining since 2012, my experience is indeed limited. Interestingly, I was also the last person to arrive at the gathering. When I entered the room, I found only one empty seat and looked up to see a group of "Luohan." After sitting down, I half-jokingly asked, "Am I the only girl here today? Then you can treat me as one of the brothers! Today, I am one of the brothers."

Although I joked about it, I still felt a bit regretful that in a gathering of fifteen industry OGs, there was only one seat for a woman. I also felt honored because the platform behind me gave me the opportunity to communicate with these OGs, and I was very happy to chat with everyone. The topics discussed were surprisingly down-to-earth—these seniors showed genuine concern for the latest developments of our exchange. Many of them have long since retired, some enjoying their retirement in mansions in the U.S., while others focus on family. Yet they still asked with concern, "Gracy, what new developments do you have at the exchange recently?"

What surprised me even more was that they raised many practical needs. For example, Bitcoin asset custody solutions—some seniors might hold thousands of Bitcoins and worry about how to plan inheritance distribution among multiple children. Is there a reliable trust institution or exchange that can provide professional services? I really started to study this issue seriously. Of course, the legal compliance, regulatory connections, and trust cooperation involved are quite complex. These topics are very interesting.

MetaEra: As your image as a female CEO becomes more established, discussions around gender issues are increasing. Are you enthusiastic about these issues, seeing them as a traffic point, or do you prefer to downplay gender labels?

Gracy: This needs to be discussed on a case-by-case basis. From the perspective of brand communication and market influence, in our industry environment, it is actually a good communication point. I am often asked related questions by the media, and the topics frequently covered—such as the challenges faced by single mothers and how female CEOs balance career and family—are real issues that people are interested in. I am willing to share these topics, and from a communication perspective, it makes sense, so I will not shy away from it; in fact, I might leverage it. Since everyone wants to talk, let's talk.

In work, especially at the level of "bringing results to the table," I tend to ignore my female identity. Whether for myself or for every member of the team, the quality of work results is unrelated to gender. I tend to believe that this persona has different meanings in different contexts. We talk about equality, not feminism!

MetaEra: Bitget has experienced rapid growth in the past two years, becoming a focal point in the industry. What do you think are the core factors driving this rapid development?

Gracy: Looking back at our development journey, we can say that we seized opportunities amid industry turmoil. Shortly after I joined the company in 2022, we faced a series of industry black swan events, including the Luna crash, the bankruptcy of Three Arrows Capital, and Celsius. These negative events dragged the industry into a bear market to some extent. However, it was precisely in such adversity that we managed to break through—the key is that we have always focused on product development and service optimization, treating the bear market as a valuable opportunity to solidify our foundation.

When the market warms up, such as when the Bitcoin ETF is approved in 2024 or a crypto-friendly president takes office, and Bitcoin's price breaks through from the $60,000-$70,000 range to $90,000, we are already well-prepared. This confirms our core philosophy: doing the right thing at the right time. Our judgment and grasp of the industry cycle, combined with the team's continuous investment in product and user experience, constitute the dual engines of Bitget's rapid development. Our judgment of market timing has always been quite accurate, and the core philosophy is: doing the right thing at the right time. Of course, this statement is simple, but determining what the right thing is requires stronger strategic capability.

MetaEra: Bitget's brand marketing has repeatedly broken the mold, opening windows for promoting the crypto industry, such as signing Messi, creative dissemination of CEO street photography videos, and layouts on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, as well as exorbitant year-end bonuses… How does the team balance the professionalism of the crypto industry with the communication logic of the mass market?

Gracy: We do not believe the crypto industry should adopt the high-and-mighty "Wall Street elite" stance. On the contrary, we firmly believe Bitcoin should enter the homes of ordinary people—if you still do not hold Bitcoin, you should start buying it now and build your own position. This concept of "inclusive finance" determines our communication strategy: always staying close to the public and seriously listening to community voices. For example, in choosing which coins to list, we focus on those that are genuinely loved by users and have a considerable number of holding addresses.

As for the street photography videos, they are purely some of my personal hobbies. My first job was as a media person at Phoenix Finance, and the media gene has always made me enjoy sharing. Looking back at my twenties, I particularly longed to hear the experiences shared by those who had gone before me. Now that it’s my turn to stand in this position, I naturally hope to convey my workplace insights and life experiences to more young people through such forms.

MetaEra: Regarding the recent hot topic of receiving 10,000 campus recruitment resumes and ultimately hiring 28 people, what is the talent selection mechanism and considerations behind this? What experiences can you share?

Gracy: In this campus recruitment, we indeed received over ten thousand applications from top universities worldwide, but it is important to emphasize that in Bitget's talent selection system, educational background is precisely the factor we value the least. Whether for campus recruitment, social recruitment, or talent circulation within the industry, we always adhere to the same value assessment standard: what value can the candidate create, what fields are they good at, what are their career aspirations, and whether these align with Bitget's development needs.

Based on this, our team composition is very diverse. For example, in terms of gender ratio, our female executives account for 44%—this number itself speaks volumes. At Bitget, traditional "sensitive items" in recruitment, such as gender and marital status, do not affect hiring decisions at all.

In fact, joining Bitget is not that difficult; the real challenge lies in continuously creating value. We adhere to a results-oriented culture: as long as one can deliver actual results for the position, anyone can achieve significant development here.

MetaEra: The industry often discusses the "big three" landscape, and Bitget has already entered the top ranks in many data aspects. Can you share some key performance data and what other initiatives will be launched this year?

Gracy: From the exchange rankings on CoinMarketcap and CoinGecko, whether in spot or futures business, we have consistently maintained a position in the top five, with some indicators even entering the top three. But data is just the surface; I am more concerned about whether we can do things well. Bitget initially started by serving retail investors, and since last year, we have systematically laid out our institutional business. Once we establish our institutional business, I am confident we will move further ahead.

MetaEra: Your career path is quite representative. You also come from a media background and have reached your current position. What advice would you give to newcomers whose development paths are similar to yours?

Gracy: Rather than advice, I would prefer to share some personal experiences. My media experience indeed gives me unique advantages: strong external communication skills, influence-building techniques, and a keen industry sense. However, there are significant differences between this and the operation of an exchange.

I have taken ten years to go from a media person to the CEO of an exchange—from graduating from university in 2014 to officially becoming the CEO of Bitget in May 2024. This journey has been full of twists and turns; I started my first venture in 2015-2016 and subsequently held positions as co-founder and CEO in different companies, during which I also pursued an MBA at MIT. There have been many changes and ups and downs along the way, and these experiences have taught me a lot: while leveraging the inherent advantages of being a media person, I must also focus on developing hard skills in business management. This includes pragmatic operational strategies, solid team management, and macro strategic judgment. When you organically combine these "soft skills" from media with "hard skills" in business and diligently work on them, many things will naturally happen later.

MetaEra: Can you briefly introduce the new products recently launched by Bitget?

Gracy: We recently launched an Onchain (on-chain trading) product, which is an important step for Bitget in laying out the on-chain ecosystem. Previously, we released a product called Bitget Seed, and this Onchain product is a significant upgrade based on Bitget Seed. In simple terms, it allows users to fully experience decentralized trading within a centralized exchange while breaking down the barriers to on-chain trading. Currently, Onchain supports popular public chains such as Solana (SOL), BNB Smart Chain (BSC), and Base.

For example, if you use a traditional decentralized exchange (Dex) for trading, you need to first input the token's contract address, manage your private keys properly, and perform various cross-chain bridge operations. We have integrated these complex processes into the Onchain product. The AI within the product will assist you in filtering tokens, and the purchasing process is very smooth. This way, users can achieve the trading experience of a decentralized exchange within a centralized exchange. To encourage users to experience Onchain, we also offer multiple incentive measures.