If one dog year equates to seven human years, what does a year in crypto translate to?

One year ago, with only the slightest understanding of what a “DAO” is, I joined Metropolis (formerly known as Orca Protocol) as a product manager.

The team had just launched onto mainnet. We didn’t have users. We didn’t really have a go-to-market approach. We didn’t have much.

But what we did have a mission, brand, and meme we believed in; forged by the type of founders that startup employees dream of.

My colleagues at the time called me crazy. My parents called me crazy. My partner called me crazy (and still does).

But my heart was telling me something different. I had stumbled upon this mysterious corner of the internet where people seemingly discussed management theory, politics, economics and technology in the same breath. It felt right.

And even with all of the events of the past year…

It still feels right.

Any fool can know. The point is to understand.

I feel like I’ve learned more in the past twelve months than I did the first ten years of my professional career. In a new industry, dealing with novel technology, while building new cultural norms and business practices - no wonder we’ve all aged a damn decade.

We are all truly flying the plane while building it.

With that said, I’ve gather a few takeaways that stand out during my time in crypto.

My top learnings from the past twelve months as an employee at a pre-PMF crypto startup:

• The only way out of ambiguity is by talking with people.

• It’s okay if your company’s target segment doesn’t overlap with your crypto friend group. It’s going to be okay - I’ll still be your friend.

• Tune out the noise. There’s a lot of it.

• Set a date. For that next feature release, blog post, or next meeting. It works.

• Laugh. Or better yet, find people you can laugh with.

We are the true heroes.

Countless egos and villains have come and gone over the years in crypto.

Regardless, we know who the true heroes are.

It’s us - the passionate but nameless investors, builders, and operators who will fight for nothing less than a more resilient, transparent, and equitable world.

I couldn’t be more excited for the year ahead continuing to build with the Metropolis team and broader crypto squad.

Who’s joining me for my Year Two?