From Tsinghua Top Student to Web3 Pioneer: An Interview with DoraHacks Founder Steve Ngok
In the latest episode of "Bill It Up," host Bill Qian engaged in an in-depth conversation with Steve Ngok, founder and global business head of DoraHacks. From being a top student at Tsinghua University to a pioneer in the Web3 space, Steve shared his unique insights on hacker culture, the evolution of blockchain, and the potential impacts of AI and quantum computing on the crypto field. This article compiles the dialogue, exploring how DoraHacks drives technological innovation through hackathons and Steve's grand vision for the future development of the Web3 ecosystem.
DoraHacks: The Innovation Engine Connecting Global Hackers
DoraHacks is a global developer community platform established in 2014, positioned as the largest entrepreneurial incentive platform in the Web3 ecosystem. Steve explained that DoraHacks stands out in the industry with its unique positioning: it does not compete with any company or organization but collaborates with major public chains and open-source technology platforms to build an open ecosystem that supports developers in entrepreneurship.
"The value of DoraHacks lies in helping developers start their businesses while promoting the development of the open-source technology ecosystem," Steve stated. The platform has incubated several successful projects, such as Injective and Polygon (formerly known as Matic), which were born at the DoraHacks hackathon in 2018. These projects have grown from startup teams into unicorns in the blockchain field, fully demonstrating DoraHacks' capability in nurturing innovative teams.
Compared to Y Combinator (YC), DoraHacks has stronger scalability. YC is characterized by high-quality incubation, focusing on commercial projects that can quickly land within 1-3 years, while DoraHacks places greater emphasis on the long-term potential in the Web3 and cutting-edge technology fields. Additionally, DoraHacks has clear plans in quantum computing and blockchain ecosystem construction, areas that YC has less involvement in.
Hackathons: A Barometer of Blockchain Ecosystem Health
Steve believes that hackathons are an important indicator of whether a blockchain ecosystem is healthy. "Ecosystems that value hackathons and genuinely provide resources for developers often manage to incubate excellent projects and survive during bear markets." He cited Solana as an example, pointing out that it successfully incubated projects like Render, Helium, and Photobots AI through DoraHacks' hackathons, seizing the trend of combining DeFi and AI, thereby solidifying its ecological position.
Conversely, some public chains have gradually declined due to a lack of substantial support for developers. For instance, certain Chinese-backed public chains that collaborated in 2018, such as Ontology and Nebulas, have lost market competitiveness after 2021. Steve emphasized, "The success of an ecosystem depends on whether it can find teams that can truly solve problems through mechanisms like hackathons and help them survive bear markets, secure funding, and create top-notch products."
AI Empowerment: From "Vibe Coding" to Hackathon Automation
In recent years, the rapid development of AI technology has brought new opportunities to DoraHacks. Steve revealed that DoraHacks has launched a product called "Build AI," aimed at enhancing the organizational efficiency of hackathons through AI technology. Traditional hackathons rely on high-cost developer relations (DevRel) teams, organizing only 1-2 events per year. However, Build AI reduces organizational costs to 1/10 to 1/20 of the original by automating problem design, project evaluation, and market promotion, achieving the remarkable efficiency of holding one hackathon per month.
"Imagine an AI agent that can help you organize 12 hackathons, covering all the tedious management work, allowing the ecosystem to continuously attract developers," Steve said. This product not only transforms DoraHacks' years of accumulated hackathon experience into a technological advantage but also empowers various public chain ecosystems, accelerating the incubation of Web3 projects.
Even more exciting is that AI is changing the role of developers. Steve mentioned an emerging profession—"Vibe Coder." These individuals, who are not proficient in programming, collaborate with AI to develop high-quality products. For example, an application called Call AI assists users in generating millions in annual revenue from zero programming knowledge. This phenomenon of "vibe coding" significantly lowers the barriers to entrepreneurship, allowing more people to become "hackers."
Quantum Computing: Disruption or Opportunity?
Quantum computing is another frontier that DoraHacks is focusing on. Steve believes that 2025 will mark the "Ethereum smart contract moment" for quantum computing, signaling the practical phase of quantum software development. The core advantage of quantum computing lies in processing massive amounts of data and making precise predictions, such as forecasting the weather three months ahead or predicting stock market trends for the coming years, rather than merely cracking codes.
Regarding the question of whether "quantum computing will threaten Bitcoin's security," Steve stated that theoretically, the supercomputing power of quantum computers could crack Bitcoin's encryption algorithms or accelerate mining. However, he optimistically pointed out that the Bitcoin community is likely to introduce quantum-resistant encryption solutions through forks and upgrades to mitigate potential crises. Additionally, DoraHacks is exploring the direction of quantum blockchain, utilizing unique quantum signature mechanisms to create more secure on-chain systems.
"Quantum computing will not destroy Bitcoin; rather, it will drive the further evolution of blockchain technology," Steve emphasized, noting that the true potential of quantum computing lies in replacing existing AI computing infrastructures, becoming a key technology that disrupts traditional computing giants like NVIDIA.
Beyond Web3 and AI: The Hacker Movement in Medical Innovation
In addition to Web3 and quantum computing, DoraHacks is also focused on innovation in the medical field. Steve mentioned that the high regulatory barriers set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hindered many small and medium-sized enterprises from innovating in medicine, such as cancer treatment and gene editing technologies. DoraHacks plans to support a "hacker movement" in this area, fostering breakthrough medical projects to break the monopoly of large pharmaceutical companies.
"AI can simulate the combinations of DNA and mRNA to design new drugs and treatment methods," Steve cited, adding that AI can also assist in developing cutting-edge technologies like rocket materials, showcasing its immense potential across industries.
Future Vision: Connecting Billions of Hackers Worldwide
Looking ahead, Steve has set a grand vision for DoraHacks: "Connecting hackers around the world to solve important and urgent problems." He believes that as AI liberates humans from tedious work, everyone has the potential to become a creative "hacker." The developer community of DoraHacks already has over 200,000 registered users and is expected to expand to tens of millions or even billions in the future.
In the short term, DoraHacks will focus on four major directions:
Consumer-level Crypto: Exploring the "Pinduoduo" or "Alipay" moment in the crypto field, driving innovation in payment and social scenarios.
Automated Organization: Empowering public chains and enterprise ecosystems through AI-driven automated services.
Open-source Quantum Software: Positioning in quantum computing applications to seize technological high ground.
Free Society (Medical Innovation): Supporting breakthrough medical projects to break regulatory barriers.
Advice for Young People: Aim High, Don't Fear Failure
For young entrepreneurs born after 2000, Steve encourages them to boldly start businesses with the help of AI. "Now is the golden age for entrepreneurship; AI has exponentially lowered the barriers to development." He advises young people to start from first principles, focusing on truly important issues rather than chasing short-term gains. "The difficulty of doing big things is similar to doing small things; why not directly pursue big things that can change the world?" Steve quoted Blackstone Group's Stephen Schwarzman, emphasizing that entrepreneurship is the best learning process, and failure is part of growth.
Conclusion
From a Tsinghua top student to a Web3 pioneer, Steve Ngok has deeply integrated hacker culture with cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, AI, and quantum computing through DoraHacks. His story showcases the limitless possibilities of technology-driven innovation and points the way for the future development of the Web3 ecosystem. As he said, "Everyone can become a hacker and solve important and urgent problems." For developers, entrepreneurs, and those curious about future technologies, DoraHacks is not just a platform but a bridge connecting dreams with reality.
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