The Philosophy of Tether CEO: Earning $100 Million Per Employee, Yet Saying It's Not About Money Paolo Ardoino is a mysterious figure. He is both the CEO of Tether and the CTO of Bitfinex; With an annual profit of $13.7 billion, each employee generates an average of $100 million in profit. He doesn't take vacations, doesn't hype, doesn't raise funds, For 11 years, he has only slept 5 hours a day, He has maintained the most stable asset in the crypto world. His recent candidness in an in-depth podcast interview finally allowed us to see how he thinks about "power, credit, and freedom." Below are his 10 crypto philosophies and life philosophies 👇: 1. Mission, Not Money: "We Want to Send a Message" Paolo emphasizes that Tether's astonishing profits (earning $13.7 billion last year) are not the end goal. He quotes the Joker from "Batman": "It's not about the money, it's about sending a message." He believes Tether's mission can expand 100 times from now, and delivering this message about financial freedom and technological accessibility is far more important than money itself. 2. "Stable Company": Tether's Ultimate Goal is Social Stability When asked how he defines Tether, Paolo corrected the term "stablecoin company," calling it a "stable company." He explained: "A stable company is a company whose ultimate goal is social stability." He believes that by popularizing finance and technology, Tether can reduce people's motivation to create chaos due to life's difficulties. 3. "Once-in-a-Century Company": Profiting Through Open Philosophy Paolo defines Tether as a "once-in-a-century company" because it simultaneously possesses three pillars: philosophy, innovation, and capital. He believes Tether's uniqueness lies in: "Tether is the only company that earns more money the more it promotes open source, openness, and decentralization." Unlike other companies that build "world gardens," Tether's platform is the entire "world." 4. The reason for existence of stablecoin: Serving 3 Billion People Without Financial Access He believes the reason for the existence of USDT is to bring stability to people in emerging markets. "Stablecoins are important because three billion people in the world don't have access to finance." He cited inflation rates of 50% in Turkey and 200% in Argentina, emphasizing that stablecoins are "life-changing" for those living in high-inflation countries who cannot access the US dollar. 5. True Disruption in Emerging Markets: Efficiency from 5% to 70% Paolo points out that stablecoins are merely icing on the cake in developed countries. But in emerging markets, stablecoins are revolutionary, capable of increasing the efficiency of financial rails "from 5% to 60% or 70%." He stated directly: "I'd rather have tens of millions of users living in Africa than 10,000 bankers living in New York as my user base." 6. Extreme Obsession: "I Have No Hobbies" Paolo admits his life is completely consumed by work. "I have no hobbies. In fact, I have no hobbies at all." He describes himself as someone who "gets obsessed" and then "falls down the rabbit hole," and his hobby is to continue thinking about Tether's mission every day. 7. 11 Years of Vigilance: 5 Hours of Sleep Per Night, Waking Up Every Hour His work intensity is reflected in his extreme sleep habits. He "tries to sleep at least 5 hours a night," but it's fragmented. He admits this state has continued for 11 years, "I wake up every hour to check notifications," and never takes naps, which was initially due to the need to remain vigilant while operating the Bitfinex exchange. 8. Philosophy of Hard Work: From Grandparents' Farm When asked about the source of his sense of mission, he attributes it to his family. He believes what he primarily learned from his family is "hard work." He recalls his grandparents' life on the farm: "He woke up at 5 AM... it was like that his whole life, and he was very happy." He believes that compared to his family, "I definitely don't work hard." 9. Coding as Art: "It Frees Human Imagination" Paolo started programming at the age of 8, and he believes coding is a unique artistic expression. He quotes himself: "Coding is unlike any other form of expression; it frees human imagination, allowing us to build entirely new worlds with infinite possibilities." He admits he's not good at painting or singing, so coding is his "way of expressing myself and inviting people into my world." 10. Astonishing Efficiency: $100 Million Annual Profit Per Person Tether is one of the companies with the highest profit per employee in the world, reaching "approximately $100 million in profit per employee per year." Paolo attributes this to his love for efficiency. Until two years ago, Tether had only 40 people, and now (250-300 people) the core stablecoin business is managed by just over a hundred people, which is astonishing for a company that generated $13.7 billion in annual profit.