Prologue
In the fall of 2025, when the Blue Origin rocket tears through the atmosphere, sending Sun Yuchen into the weightless universe, the world's perception of him is at a subtle tipping point.
On the ground, he was once a defendant in the SEC lawsuit and the most controversial 'public enemy' in the crypto world, a symbol wrapped in public opinion and speculation. But beyond the ground, a 'financial Cthulhu' built by his own hands is surging with over tens of billions of transactions in every capillary of global finance.
This space journey is both a long-awaited coronation ceremony and a retrospective. It presents Sun Yuchen's two lives - the defendant in the eye of the storm and the architect of the new world - to the public in an unprecedented way.
1. The Defendant's Seat (Eye of the Storm)
In March 2023, when the SEC's lawsuit announcement spread globally, many felt that the noisy and controversial era belonging to Sun Yuchen was coming to an end. Every word in the announcement - 'fraud,' 'market manipulation' - seemed to seal his past public image: the embodiment of the 'original sin' of the crypto world, a financial speculator skilled in making promises and hype. The story seemed to have turned to the last page, but a new chapter was just beginning.
In the eye of the storm, Sun Yuchen remains unusually calm. He did not engage in heated debates on social media but issued a brief, restrained statement. Unbeknownst to many, he was orchestrating the most thrilling and successful capital operation in the history of the crypto world through encrypted video conferencing.
At that time, the crypto industry was in the 'darkest moment' after the FTX collapse, trust was shattered, and liquidity was nearly exhausted. He had just taken on the role of global advisor for the exchange Huobi (later rebranded as Huobi HTX), which was a floundering boat in this storm. Everyone thought he had chosen the most dangerous moment to support a crumbling platform.
However, Sun Yuchen demonstrated his cold and precise side as a strategic advisor. At his primary suggestion, HTX's focus did not lie in market manipulation but in rebuilding trust. Huobi HTX publishes important data like 'Merkle tree reserve proofs' every month, transparently showcasing the platform's asset status to all users. This 'suicidal' transparency later became the cornerstone and standard for rebuilding trust in the entire industry.
He firmly believes that after panic, what people crave most is not false prosperity but real security. This suggestion has proven correct. While other exchanges were struggling with bank runs, funds quietly flowed back into this most honest platform like a tide.
At that moment, the outside world first vaguely realized that the Sun Yuchen they thought only played with public opinion might not be weaponized by words, but by a profound insight into human nature and the flow of capital.
2. The Invisible Empire
Beyond the public eye, Sun Yuchen has long been quietly playing the role of 'creator of the new world's system.' He is obsessed with building infrastructure, those dull, complex, yet vital underlying rules that determine the life and death of an ecosystem.
The first pillar is a freely flowing value network.
He never tried to package TRON as a cutting-edge public chain; instead, he turned it into a 'highway.' His goal was clear to the point of being dull: to infinitely reduce transaction costs.
When the industry was keen to discuss various sophisticated consensus algorithms, he only cared about one thing: how to reduce the cost for a young person in the third world to transfer $1 on-chain from $10 to $0.01.
By 2024, the power of this highway will be fully revealed. With its unparalleled low fees, TRON has become the largest stablecoin circulation network in the world, quietly becoming a 'systemic tool' for millions to hedge against real-world risks.
The second pillar is a world-class asset issuance and trading center.
After stabilizing his footing and under the influence of Sun Yuchen's advisory role, Huobi HTX transformed from a mere 'exchange' to a 'hub for asset issuance and liquidity.' Through its investment division, HTX Ventures, it initiated a series of Web3 incubation and investment programs, selecting promising startups globally.
Unlike traditional platforms, Huobi HTX not only provides funding but also offers a complete set of ecological services: from underlying technical support and token economic model design to initial user traffic introduction. Huobi HTX is no longer a 'landlord' waiting for projects to come for rent but has become an 'incubator' for new species.
The third pillar is a channel of influence leading to the future.
As the entire crypto industry tries to appease the establishment in Washington, Sun Yuchen again goes against mainstream opinion: embracing the Trump family. In 2024, he keenly captured that, as the U.S. elections approached, Trump and the political forces he represents were viewing cryptocurrency as an 'anti-establishment' banner to combat the existing financial system and attract young voters. He decisively bet his resources and industry influence on this emerging political wave.
He began to engage in public interaction with the Trump family in the crypto field, attending Trump's dinner. At this point in the game, he was no longer the 'diplomat' trying to find a place under the old world's rules; he transformed into the crypto think tank behind the new political force. He exchanged real capital and substantial community influence for a ticket to the future center of power.
Sun Yuchen attends a dinner with the Trump family
When the three pillars, like the massive roots of Yggdrasil, were in place, people suddenly realized that under the cover of controversy, Sun Yuchen had quietly built a vast digital economy based on the value network of TRON, with HTX, which he provided advisory services for, as a strategic hub, connecting to future core channels of influence.
3. Looking Back from Space
In the fall of 2025, when the Blue Origin rocket sends Sun Yuchen into suborbital space, people's views on this 'Brother Sun' are subtly changing.
Whether controversial or outlandish, this 'Brother Sun' is 'building the infrastructure for humanity's future' in his own way. Once a defendant, he is now an undeniable business leader.
In the weightless cabin, Sun Yuchen gazes through the porthole at that blue planet. What he sees is no longer the border lines on the map, but an invisible network covering the globe, composed of data flows.
Sun Yuchen takes a picture in space with his childhood photo
On this blue planet, a USDT from Country A is being paid to a freelancer in Country B via the TRON chain; a small startup team, supported by Huobi HTX, is building the next application that could change the world; and among some officials' desks, there may be his proposals in drafts concerning the future regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.
Everything he built operates on that planet with a frequency of millions of times per second, affecting the lives of countless people. This is a god-like perspective, a great satisfaction for an architect gazing at his masterpiece.
After returning from space, he became more pragmatic, expressing views on promoting improvements in the industry as an 'industry advisor.' He seems to be trying to play a new role: bringing order and rules to a world he has created that is growing wildly.
He remains a seasoned capital player, but his game table has expanded from the mere crypto market to the grand chessboard of the global economy. He is still a creator of a new world’s system but has begun to think about how to allow this new world to coexist and integrate better with the old one.
Sun Yuchen's story is one about how controversy can become the best camouflage, and how ambition can build reality. He has proven over ten years that it is possible to not only survive but also to build in the eye of the storm. As for whether what he is building is a lighthouse to the future or his own Tower of Babel, perhaps only time will give the final answer.
