Coinbase CEO ‘Crypto Is Sleeper’ Now: This Is What He Meant

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong used X to describe cryptocurrency as a sleeper industry right now, reiterating a widely shared career guide post by Jon Wu that categorized cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence as major opportunities for 2025. Armstrong’s statement is more than just marketing speak, as the cryptocurrency industry has changed drastically since 2021.

State of the industry

According to Armstrong, cryptocurrency is not in the same euphoric state as it was in 2021. The market is now more focused on artificial intelligence (AI) than blockchain, venture capital activity has slowed and Bitcoin and Ethereum are trading below their previous all-time highs. However, Armstrong contends that this is the exact reason why there are so many opportunities in the industry right now. Today’s entrants are positioning themselves ahead of the next wave, and the noise has subsided. The gap between sentiment at the moment and long-term fundamentals is what makes cryptocurrency a sleeper.

Even though token prices are low, institutional adoption is growing as more banks investigate tokenization and stablecoin infrastructure, and major markets are gradually gaining regulatory clarity. Armstrong’s Coinbase is at the forefront of this shift, developing Web3 infrastructure, custody and derivatives in addition to a basic exchange model.

Why crypto is sleeper

But working in one of the more popular tech verticals, like artificial intelligence, is not the same as working in cryptocurrency today. Although the skill set is very specialized, wages are still competitive, particularly for engineers and product designers. It is not always easy to apply knowledge of Solidity, layer-2 scaling, zero-knowledge proofs or compliance frameworks from the cryptocurrency space to other sectors. That presents a risk as well as a moat, because individuals who acquire cryptocurrency experience now will be among a select few when the market eventually grows once more.

Coinbase’s hiring initiative and Armstrong’s tweet both express his opinion that the industry is underappreciated but still alive. Crypto might be in its own sleeper phase, much like AI had its quiet years before exploding into mainstream attention. Armstrong is also arguing that the payout could be enormous when the next cycle comes around for those who are prepared to stake their careers on it.