Q1 2026 | Data as of March 2026

Gate Research Institute × Global HR

Report Summary

● AI is reshaping the way all industries work, and the crypto industry is simultaneously under the dual pressure of a bear market cycle and AI transformation—but the tracks that truly create value are still growing.

● Skill combination determines survival: Composite talents with a dual background of "AI tools × in-depth knowledge of vertical industries" are becoming the scarcest group with the highest premium in the market.

● This is not an industry recruitment data report—but an action guide for individuals, helping every practitioner find their place in the AI ​​era.

In Q1 2026, the crypto industry is experiencing two things simultaneously: the inertial contraction of a bear market cycle and AI-driven organizational restructuring. The combination of these two factors is creating a talent market unlike anything seen in the past decade.

The core judgment of this article is as follows: The impact of AI has already spread to crypto, and at a faster pace than most people expected.

1. Crypto.com laid off 12% of its staff, explicitly attributing the losses to AI; Gemini cut 30% of its workforce; and Crypto's job postings plummeted by 80% year-over-year. This is no longer "someone else's business."

2. However, the real driving force behind most cryptocurrency layoffs is the demise of the industry itself, not AI replacement. Areas like restaking, DePIN, and homogenized L2 cryptocurrencies are shrinking overall, with projects cutting costs to survive. AI is a genuine organizational transformation in some companies, but for many more, it's merely a narrative device for layoffs. Distinguishing between these two is a prerequisite for making the right talent decisions.

3. Stablecoins are the only proven large-scale use case in the cryptocurrency industry and currently represent the most certain source of talent demand. With a market capitalization exceeding $300 billion and annual trading volume of $33 trillion, regulatory frameworks are taking shape globally. Compliance, payment, and banking roles related to stablecoins are among the few areas that do not fluctuate significantly with bull and bear market cycles.

4. "Layoffs followed by rehiring" is becoming a reality. 32% of companies that implemented AI-driven layoffs have already rehired more than a quarter of the laid-off positions. AI replaces tasks, not jobs—companies that understand this distinction will "avoid many detours."

5. For individuals, "AI readiness" is the biggest dividing line. Currently, only 16% of practitioners have reached a high level of AI readiness. Those who master AI tools first are not guaranteed to win, but those who don't are highly likely to lose.

I. Introduction: Key Variables in the Global Employment Market in Q1 2026

From December 2025 to March 2026, the global job market experienced a concentrated shock, the intensity of which is rare in recent years.

Large-scale model competitions are entering a period of intense competition.

From the second half of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, major global large-scale models underwent a collective leap forward. Both closed-source models and open-source ecosystems made significant progress in inference capabilities, multimodal understanding, and agent-based implementation. The following is an overview of the current status of major large-scale models as of March 2026:

(Sources: OpenAI, 2025.08; Anthropic, 2026.02; Google AI, 2026; DeepSeek GitHub, 2025; Alibaba Cloud, 2026.02; Meta AI, 2025.04; xAI, 2026.02; Mistral AI, 2025.12)

AI Agents: From Concept to Real-World Application

If the parameter race of large models is an "arms race," then agentization is the "last mile" that truly changes the way we work in this race.

● Gartner predicts that by the end of 2026, 40% of enterprise applications will be equipped with task-specific AI agents (compared to less than 5% previously); enterprise inquiries about multi-agent systems have surged by 1,445% in the past year.

● GitHub Copilot Agent mode can now autonomously complete the entire workflow from code writing to PR submission; Cursor users have surpassed 2 million.

● Amazon Q Developers are using agent clusters to perform mass modernization migrations of thousands of legacy Java systems.

● ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott predicts that the unemployment rate for recent graduates may climb to over 30% in the next few years, as AI agents will automate a large number of entry-level jobs.

(Source: Gartner, January 2026; Fortune, March 17, 2026 https://fortune.com/2026/03/17/servicenow-ceo-bill-mcdermott-gen-z-graduates-face-30-unemployment-next-couple-of-years-ai-takes-over/)

Tech industry layoffs and one-way talent flow

Following its AI platformization strategy, Block announced on February 26th that it would lay off 40% of its workforce, cutting 4,000 jobs. This is the largest layoff in tech history explicitly attributed to AI. It's worth noting that Block's Q4 gross profit increased by 24% year-over-year – this wasn't cost-cutting to survive, but rather a proactive choice by management at a peak in performance. The market reacted decisively: the stock price surged 24% that day. (Source: CNBC, Block Q4 Earnings Report)

Layoffs subsequently spread rapidly: Amazon laid off 16,000 people, Atlassian cut 10%, and HSBC is considering cutting 20,000 middle and back-office positions over the next 3-5 years. As of the end of March, the tech industry had already laid off approximately 59,000 people by 2026. An anonymous CFO survey indicated that AI-related layoffs in 2026 could reach nine times that of last year.

(Source: NBER / Duke CFO Survey, Fortune report)

On the other side of the coin: ByteDance is launching its largest-ever internship recruitment drive, targeting over 7,000 2027 graduates, including over 4,800 R&D offers, with a conversion rate exceeding 50%. Traditional companies are shrinking, while AI-native companies are expanding. Talent is flowing in one direction. (Source: Sina Technology, March 6, 2026 https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/discovery/2026-03-06/doc-inhpzvnr2495717.shtml)

These events are significant because they fundamentally change the definition of the role of "human resources" within organizations. Discussing employment trends in any industry without mentioning what happened in these three months is tantamount to discussing a world that no longer exists.

The crypto industry enters a new phase amid macroeconomic disruptions and capital revaluation.

From the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, the external environment for the crypto industry will be significantly more complex and mature than in the previous round. On the one hand, global markets continue to trade on expectations of interest rate cuts, with the Federal Reserve having lowered the target range for the federal funds rate to 3.50%-3.75%, and marginal improvements in liquidity boosting the valuation of risk assets. On the other hand, repeated regional conflicts have driven up volatility in safe-haven assets such as energy and gold. In March 2026, Brent crude oil jumped by about 9% in a single day due to the conflict in the Middle East, and subsequently continued to soar, breaking through $110 per barrel. Geopolitical risks have once again become an important variable in global capital allocation.

(Source: Federal Reserve FOMC Statement, March 18, 2026; CNBC Brent Crude Oil Report, March 1, 2026)

Against this backdrop, traditional financial institutions' involvement in the crypto market is no longer limited to the trading level, but has extended to ETFs, custody, stablecoin payments, and on-chain financial infrastructure. As a result, the crypto ecosystem has shifted from being solely price-driven to a richer stage driven by new narratives such as AI, stablecoins, and prediction markets.

II. Transmission Path: From Tech Industry Restructuring to the Structural Impact on the Crypto Industry

Many crypto professionals thought at the beginning of the year that "the story above" was a Web2 issue. March data proves otherwise. ( The following content is excerpted from publicly available information.)

Crypto itself has already begun layoffs. On March 19, Crypto.com laid off 12% of its staff (approximately 180 people), with CEO Kris Marszalek leaving no room for ambiguity in his words on X: "Companies that don't immediately transform with AI will die." The layoffs are concentrated in the growth and CRM departments—precisely the jobs most easily taken over by AI tools. Gemini is even more aggressive, laying off 30% since the beginning of the year, from approximately 630 people to 445, stating in its shareholder letter: "Not using AI is like bringing a typewriter to work." During the same period, Algorand Foundation laid off 25%, OP Labs (Optimism) laid off 20%, and Messari shrank from a target of 1,000 people to approximately 140 people after three rounds of layoffs (Source: CoinDesk, March 21, 2026, comprehensive report).

However, the real driving force behind layoffs is far more complex than "AI replacement." Dan Eskow, founder of crypto recruitment agency Up Top, offers a more sober assessment: most layoffs have no real connection to AI. Restaking, DePIN, and L2—once talent-intensive sectors—are "basically nonexistent," and companies are cutting costs to survive. Algorand is cutting community management and business development positions—jobs that AI cannot easily replace. Recruitment data further illustrates the problem: in January 2026, major crypto recruitment platforms added only about 6.5 new positions per day, a year-on-year plunge of 80% (Source: Dan Eskow / FinanceFeeds; CoinDesk interview).

Therefore, the reality is that two parallel logics coexist: market downturns compress overall space (cyclical), while AI accelerates internal organizational restructuring (structural). For hiring managers, distinguishing whether a position disappears due to industry shrinkage or is redefined by AI determines whether to freeze hiring or adjust the job description. For job seekers, this distinction determines whether to wait for the market to recover or immediately transition to a new role.

The talent drain is intensifying. Top technical talent is flowing from crypto to AI-native companies. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek currently offer salaries, cutting-edge technology, and career development opportunities far exceeding the crypto industry average. The reverse flow—from AI to crypto—is extremely rare. The crypto industry's past attraction to talent, built on token incentives and a remote culture, is being diluted as AI companies also begin global remote recruitment and offer highly competitive salaries.

The startling figures from the anonymous CFO survey:

An anonymous survey of 750 CFOs from U.S. companies, supported by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), indicates that AI-attributed layoffs are projected to reach approximately 502,000 in 2026, nine times the approximately 55,000 of the previous year. In Q1, 23% of layoffs explicitly cited AI automation as a reason. (Source: Fortune, March 24, 2026; CFO Dive March 2026)

The overall industry data is even more alarming: crypto job postings have plummeted by 80% year-over-year—only about 6.5 new positions per day. The entire sector is dying: once-hot areas like restaking, DePIN, and fungible L2 are "virtually nonexistent." (Source: InCrypted 2026; crypto.news)

The talent siphon effect is intensifying.

Top-tier technical talent is flowing from crypto to AI-native companies. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek currently offer salaries, cutting-edge technology, and career development opportunities far exceeding the crypto industry average. The reverse flow—from AI to crypto—is extremely rare. The crypto industry's past attraction to talent, built on token incentives and a remote culture, is being diluted as AI companies also begin global remote recruitment and offer highly competitive salaries.

Current state of the crypto market: Prices have fallen from their highs, and the industry has entered a temporary bear market.

After a significant surge, the crypto market recently reached a high, but subsequently retreated rapidly. The current price center has shifted significantly lower than the high point, market volatility has increased, risk appetite has declined, and the crypto industry has likely entered a bear market. In this context, companies typically slow their expansion, and hiring demands shift from growth-oriented positions to those emphasizing efficiency and core roles. (Source: CoinGecko public market price data)

III. Who is hiring: Employer structure and recruitment focus in the four major sectors

The industry is contracting, but not all sectors are shrinking. Distinguishing between "dying sectors" and "sectors generating real demand" is the most crucial judgment at present. Breaking down by major employer type, the crypto job market in Q1 2026 has formed four parallel sectors: exchanges, public chains and infrastructure, stablecoins, and DeFi and derivatives.

Focusing on specific job markets, the demand structure is changing.

New hiring in Q1 was cautious and slowed down, but this does not mean that demand is declining. The popularization of AI and the refinement of the regulatory environment are reshaping job standards at the same time: on the one hand, the requirements for low-barrier, high-execution, and process-oriented positions are being compressed, while on the other hand, the thresholds for key positions such as engineering, security, compliance, product, and commercialization continue to rise.

(Source: Web3.Career Intelligence Report 2025; Edgen.tech; Crypto Jobs List)

New job postings in Q1 2026

In the first quarter of 2026, approximately 2,167 new Web3 and crypto-related jobs were added, including about 328 new Web3 developer positions. North America led the way with 25,000 jobs; Europe and Asia each added approximately 12,000; South America, Oceania, and Africa combined added fewer than 3,000 jobs. Remote cryptography jobs reached 15,000. (Source: web3.career)

Who is most competitive at this stage? A combination of skills is more valuable than a single skill.

The most scarce resource in the crypto industry has never been "people who can write Solidity," but rather multi-skilled individuals who "understand financial product logic, can write code, and comprehend compliance frameworks." In the AI ​​era, this must be added: the ability to skillfully use AI tools to amplify output. This isn't a bonus; it's the bare minimum.

Technical roles still account for over 50% of the crypto job market, with blockchain development, security auditing, and smart contract engineering being core skills. ZKP engineers and Rollup designers are becoming scarce, high-paying positions. However, the definition of a technical role is rapidly changing—Gemini's layoffs were attributed to AI turning "10x engineers" into "100x engineers." The implication is that the space for purely execution-oriented coding jobs is shrinking dramatically; architectural skills, systems thinking, and the ability to solve ambiguous problems are the true assets. (Source: Web3 Jobs; CoinDesk 2026.03.21)

Non-technical positions are showing a clear polarization. Compliance roles continue to grow due to increased global regulation, while product managers and ecosystem operations still have room for growth in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East. However, Crypto.com's recent layoffs are concentrated in the growth and CRM departments—basic operations, customer service, data entry, and other highly repetitive tasks are at the highest risk of being replaced by AI.

For job seekers from other industries: You don't need a "Crypto native" background.

Over half of the new entrants in the past year came from Web2, AI, and finance. The key is whether you can bring your professional skills and quickly combine them with a deep understanding of the underlying cryptocurrencies. An engineer with expertise in traditional payment systems entering the stablecoin arena, or a lawyer familiar with securities law switching to RWA compliance—these cross-disciplinary paths are often more competitive than those with a pure crypto background.

AI × Crypto: The Great Talent Migration 2.0

Leading exchanges such as Binance, OKX, Coinbase, and Gate are no longer content with simply introducing tools, but are undertaking comprehensive AI transformation. From Binance deploying 25,000 AI agents to OKX launching OnchainOS, a developer operating system integrating an AI layer, and Gate launching natural language trading functionality—the industry is reshaping its underlying infrastructure.

Data shows that the global demand for AI talent is 3.2 times the supply, and the salaries for positions with AI skills are 67% higher than those for traditional positions. Currently, 14% of Web3 job descriptions explicitly require candidates to have AI workflow skills.

IV. Compensation and Incentives: The Real Face After Removing the Filters

Global average salaries in the crypto industry are expected to rise by about 18% from 2025, but this figure masks significant internal disparities. Technology and compliance roles are at the top of the salary ladder, while basic operations and customer service positions face downward pressure from both AI replacement and global remote competition. (Source: Web3.Career; Edgen.tech; Crypto Jobs List)

Salary ladder for highly competitive positions

First Tier: AI-Native Quantization and Algorithms

AI-native quantitative researchers and algorithmic traders have replaced traditional quantitative roles, firmly occupying the absolute top of the crypto industry's salary pyramid. Globally, there are fewer than 3,000 active talents with top-tier backgrounds in both finance and AI, resulting in a supply-demand ratio as high as 1:50, allowing these candidates to enjoy a significant salary premium of 40%-60%.

Second Tier: Compliance, Legal and Risk Management

With major global markets establishing crypto regulatory frameworks, the strategic value of Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance experts, and crypto lawyers has increased significantly. North American market data shows that senior compliance officers with crypto compliance licenses and backgrounds at leading institutions now command salaries comparable to or even exceeding those of quantitative finance professionals.

Third Tier: Technology Security and Smart Contracts

Smart contract auditors and core blockchain developers constitute the fastest-growing and most competitive cluster of scarce talent in the crypto industry. Top auditors not only have a base salary but also earn additional income through bug bounties, resulting in highly flexible annual income.

Token Incentives and Remote Culture

Token incentives remain a core differentiator in crypto compensation. Over 70% of projects offer token options, which can yield returns several times the base salary during bull markets, but many projects see their tokens go to zero during bear markets. Evaluating the true value of a crypto offer cannot rely solely on the "paper package"—it requires considering whether the project has real revenue (rather than solely relying on token issuance to sustain operations), the token release period and lock-up conditions, and whether the team's financial reserves can sustain them through a full cycle. (Source: Web3 Career; Web3 Jobs)

Remote work is ingrained in the crypto industry, with remote positions accounting for 36% of all jobs by 2025. Take Gate.io as an example: with nearly 3,000 employees worldwide, almost all are working remotely. This breaks down geographical barriers, but it also means you're competing for the same jobs with global talent—and global AI tools.

V. Action Guide: How to Find Your Place in the Crypto Industry in the AI ​​Era

For corporate HR and managers

● Review existing job descriptions: For each position, identify which responsibilities can be assisted or replaced by AI tools, and include "AI collaboration capabilities" in the job requirements.

● Establish pipelines in three areas: stablecoins, compliance, and security auditing—these are requirements that don't fluctuate significantly with bull and bear markets, and a cold market is a good time to build relationships with potential candidates.

● Reassess the true appeal of token incentive programs in the current market – if a project's token has already lost 70% of its value, continuing to use a large proportion of the total offer to attract candidates may backfire.

● Before approving any layoffs in the name of AI, conduct a job task breakdown: Which tasks are truly automatable? What is the error rate of the AI ​​system? What are the fallback plans if the AI ​​fails?

For employed workers

● Master AI tools immediately—Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot... Whether in a technical or non-technical role, mastering at least 2-3 AI productivity tools is a basic requirement for survival.

● Assess the structural health of your sector—if you're in restaking, DePIN, or an L2 project without real revenue, don't wait until it shuts down to start looking for opportunities.

● Focus on growing sectors: Stablecoins (compliance framework implementation creates numerous professional jobs), Compliance and Risk Control (rigid demand under increasingly stringent global regulations), and the intersection of AI and Crypto.

For job seekers from different industries

● The most practical entry points are stablecoin compliance, technical security, and product development—these areas require cross-industry experience, not just a passion for crypto.

● You don't need a "crypto native" background—more than half of the new entrants in the past year came from Web2, AI, finance, and other fields.

● Instead of panicking about "my job being replaced by AI," think about "which tasks in my job will be taken over by AI, and which won't"—and then spend your time strengthening the latter.

AI Readiness Index (AIQ) research shows that only about 16% of employees reach a high level—meaning early adopters have a huge window of opportunity, but this window won't stay open forever. (Source: Forrester AI Readiness Index 2025)

Conclusion

Looking back at this cycle, the crypto industry has traversed an extraordinary journey amidst macroeconomic fluctuations and capital revaluation. The market has retreated from its peak, corporate hiring has shifted from expansion to conservatism, and the industry as a whole has entered a new phase of "reconstructing growth." However, beneath the surface contraction, deeper structural changes are taking place: the integration of AI and crypto is accelerating, compliance processes are deepening, and real-world use cases are continuously being implemented—all of which are redefining the boundaries and future of the industry.

In this profound structural transformation, Gate has consistently remained at the forefront of the industry. Gate deeply embraces the AI ​​wave, actively introducing AI tools and intelligent capabilities across product, risk control, research, and operations. Simultaneously, it continuously attracts multi-talented individuals with expertise in "blockchain underlying logic × cutting-edge AI technology × global perspective" through a global remote recruitment model. We firmly believe that the future crypto ecosystem will be built by those multi-talented individuals who understand both blockchain underlying logic and cutting-edge AI technology, possess a global perspective, and are deeply capable of cultivating local markets.