Is crypto dead now—should I just give up? It’s now nearly impossible to achieve hundreds of times returns by buying and trading altcoins, unless it’s outright fraud. The only projects likely to survive are those with solid fundamentals and clear profitability, which can redirect capital flows back into their own tokens. Airdrops and mining mechanisms remain highly attractive for those with limited seed capital (excluding tax concerns). However, the era of “multi-account clicking” airdrops, where you could make big gains through sheer effort, has already passed. The same applies to lucrative rounds on launchpads led by KOLs—or even VC rounds. These opportunities are largely over. Last cycle, VCs were most active investing in infrastructure; but even they got burned in most cases where they invested in SAFTs instead of SAFEs. Still, this entire pattern has repeated itself in every cycle: - First, hype-driven narratives (ICO fever, new trends, L1/L2 tokens, etc.) - Then, speculative mania (NFTs, memes, prediction markets) - Finally, tech-driven innovation (tokenomics, decentralization, infrastructure—now AI) What matters is tracking where capital flows. Ultimately, your goal is to preserve your capital while growing your seed. Those who made money were always the ones who knew how to ride trends—and when to exit early. This is why I consistently emphasize: cashing out is the most critical step. The USD or KRW value shown in your wallet or account means little. Until you actually withdraw it as real cash, it’s just virtual money. So—is crypto dead? No, it’s not dead. We’re in a bear market, yes—but this is the time to study hard and identify who the next major players will be. Most portfolios today are either stabilized or already cashed out; the remaining alt positions are essentially “hold for the next cycle—if it goes up, great; if not, cut losses.” A tough phase is ahead, but after several cycles, we’ve seen capital always circulates again. The key caution: your current holdings are unlikely to be the drivers of the next cycle… (Meaning: the next major trendsetters haven’t emerged yet—what we see now is mostly just hype.)