In 2010, a curious Chinese teenager named Wei Zhang stumbled across an obscure concept: a decentralized digital currency called Bitcoin. Intrigued by its potential and armed with just $10 in savings, he bought thousands of $BTC
at less than a penny each.
Fast forward a few years — as Bitcoin's value soared, so did Wei’s fortune. By 2013, his investment had turned into a small fortune. But he wasn’t done yet. At just 19, Wei launched CryptoLeap, the world’s first crypto margin trading platform, revolutionizing how people traded digital assets.
His innovation attracted traders from across the globe, turning CryptoLeap into an industry powerhouse. By 2017, Wei had amassed 99,000 $BTC , making him one of the richest individuals in crypto.
But then... disaster struck.
In early 2018, Wei received what seemed like a legitimate business proposal from a top-tier venture capital firm. Excited by the opportunity, he clicked a link in the email — unknowingly falling victim to a sophisticated phishing attack.
The hackers accessed CryptoLeap’s admin panel. Within minutes, 99,000 $BTC were gone. Stolen. Erased.
Panic rippled across the market. The news devastated the crypto community. Lawsuits piled in. Regulators swooped down. CryptoLeap collapsed. And Wei, once a symbol of brilliance and innovation, was now a cautionary tale.
At today’s prices, those 99,000 $BTC would be worth over $11.4 billion.
But Wei didn’t disappear. Instead, he shifted his focus to cybersecurity—committed to ensuring no one else suffers the fate he did. Now, he’s a mentor, a voice of wisdom in a space still prone to high stakes and hard lessons.
A story of ambition, innovation, loss, and resilience.
A powerful reminder: in crypto, security isn’t optional — it’s everything.