| Jeff Yan | |
|---|---|
| Type | entity |
| Created | Thu Apr 16 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Updated | Thu Apr 16 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Tags | person, founder, team |
| Sources |
raw/inbox/jeff-yan,
raw/inbox/colossus-hyperliquid-tweet
|
| Related | hyperliquid, hyperliquid-labs, chameleon-trading, hype-token |
Jeff Yan
Jeff Yan is the founder of Hyperliquid. At 31 years old, he is the only member of the team who does not use a pseudonym. He bootstrapped Hyperliquid entirely with profits from his prior trading firm, Chameleon Trading, rejecting all venture capital.
Background
- Born: ~1995 (age 18 in 2013)
- Origin: First-generation Chinese-American, raised in Redwood Shores, California by single mother (accountant)
- Education: Harvard University — BS in Mathematics, MS in Computer Science (full scholarship). Ranked 1st out of 150 in CS 124 (Data Structures and Algorithms) as a freshman.
Competition Record
- Math: Selected for U.S. Mathematical Olympiad training team in 9th grade (top 50 nationally)
- Physics: US Physics Olympiad team — silver medal in Estonia, gold medal at International Physics Olympiad in Copenhagen (2013), ranked 24th in the world
Career Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| ~2016 | Internships at Google X, Tower Research Capital, Nuro |
| 2017 | Hudson River Trading inaugural internship (top 2). Co-interns included Alexandr Wang (Scale AI), Jesse Zhang (Decagon), Scott Wu (Cognition) |
| Late 2017 | Joined HRT full-time; left after 8 months (“questioning the value he was adding to the world”) |
| Apr 2018 | Co-founded Deaux (blockchain prediction market) at Binance Labs incubator. Pioneered off-chain matching / on-chain settlement. Shut down (~100 users) |
| End 2019 | Moved to Puerto Rico, started Chameleon Trading with $10,000 |
| 2020–2022 | Chameleon grew “several thousand percent annually”; achieved financial independence by age 27 |
| Feb 2023 | Founded Hyperliquid, motivated by FTX/Terra collapse |
| Early 2024 | Turned down $1B VC offer to maintain protocol neutrality |
| Spring 2024 | Team relocated from Puerto Rico to Singapore (US regulatory uncertainty) |
| 2025 | Named to CoinDesk’s “Most Influential 2025” list |
Philosophy
On Venture Capital
“If Bitcoin had taken a VC round, I really don’t think it would be Bitcoin.”
Yan believes VCs create an “illusion of progress” by inflating valuations without real utility. Large VC stakes become “a scar on the network.” By avoiding external investors, the team focuses entirely on users and community.
On Market Makers
No private arrangements, profit-sharing, or special partnerships. HLP is the only liquidity pool — protocol-owned, open to all depositors. Avoiding market maker deals may slow short-term growth but preserves long-term integrity.
On Transparent Markets
Defends fully visible onchain order book. Equal data access mitigates front-running risk (unlike CEXs where insiders exploit liquidation info). Compares to public ETF rebalances in TradFi. Order matching deprioritizes fast “taker” orders to give market makers fair time to update, encouraging tighter spreads.
On Hiring
Team of 11 full-time members. “Hiring the wrong person is much worse than not hiring anyone at all.” Selective for smart, driven individuals with high integrity. Hands-on with technical details but gives full ownership of tasks.
On Work
14+ hours/day, sometimes 100 hours/week. “People are generally too soft.” Lives minimalist — same outfit daily, cuts own hair.
Personal
Raised by single mother. Guiding principle from Chinese idiom: “There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.” Blends American ambition (“dreaming big”) with Eastern values (“humility, doing more than talking”). Has hired bodyguards and relocated residence after being followed into his apartment elevator.
Key Decisions
- Shut down profitable Chameleon Trading to build Hyperliquid after FTX collapse
- Rejected $1B VC offer to keep protocol neutral
- Chose not to list HYPE on CEXs — “laser focus” on core development
- Allocated 31% of HYPE supply to users (enabled by no VC allocation)
- Directed all protocol fees to community, zero to team