Author: Turbo Guo @TurboGuo | IOSG Ventures

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Meggie for her insights on the content of this article, especially its main theme.

What is a young person like?

It may be courageous, imaginative, eager for quick success, yet also afraid of missing out; it may be radical and fervent. 250 years of history is, for a nation, quite young.

My feeling stems from my experience attending the closed-door Trump Crypto Conference & Gala Luncheon at Mar-a-Lago. Mar-a-Lago is Trump's residence and winter White House, as well as a private social club. This venue inevitably made the event special, like going to a gathering at the home of a young, wealthy, and flamboyant friend—even the chairs were gold.

Thirty-six months countdown

The most readily apparent trait of youth is radicalism. Tony Robbins, a renowned speaker and bestselling author, was one such speaker. Standing on stage, he repeatedly uttered the phrase: "Thirty-six months." He said that within thirty-six months, robots would replace a vast number of jobs; within thirty-six months, quantum computing would be able to reverse-engineer old encryption algorithms; and within thirty-six months, self-driving cars would disrupt eight million driver jobs. He packaged this number as a countdown: "The thirty-six month countdown has begun." Thirty-six months sounds unsettlingly short, but he didn't intend to make it any more stable.

Alchemy founder Nikil offered a different, more radical approach. He bluntly stated that within five years, AI agents will transfer more funds than all of humanity combined, and not a single dollar will ever pass through a bank account. On stage, he demonstrated how his agent, "Dave the Minion," helped him book an Uber, control twenty devices in his home, buy flowers for his girlfriend, and monitor his weight gain in Costa Rica.

I chatted with Nikil for a while backstage, and they mentioned that the company will soon launch agent cards, most likely a white-label solution, allowing other projects to rebrand and issue their own agent payment cards. This product logic aligns with Nikil's statement on stage that "within 5 years, no one will have to go through the banking system for a single dollar transaction."

Sister Wood expressed a similar view. She pointed out that AI training costs are decreasing by 75% annually, and inference costs are decreasing by 98% annually, making it the most deflationary technology in history. She said that AI-written content will surpass human output for the first time in 2025, and predicts that it will exceed the total amount of human writing in all of history within a decade. I also had the opportunity to chat with her for a bit; her assessment of the industry as a whole was generally bullish, without any particularly conservative points.

Listening to these prophecies together, they share a common thread: everyone is convinced that within the next three to five years, the world will be reshaped according to their own described path. This is a very American, very youthful way of expressing things.

American-style wealth creation: placing oneself in the middle layer

If radical predictions represent youthful "thoughts," then resource integration represents youthful "behavior." A common way for Americans to build wealth is to connect different circles, establish influence, and become a hub for information and resources.

Tony Robbins is the ultimate version of this path.

He stepped down from the stage, weaving between the small round tables, never more than half a meter away from me. He talked about many topics: AI, Crypto, and Robotics. He also mentioned Marc Benioff of Salesforce, Brett Adcock of Figure AI, the three 22-year-old college dropouts who founded Mercer, and Gary Cohn, the vice chairman of IBM, among others, using these names to build his credibility. To be honest, his understanding of Crypto wasn't particularly deep, and his judgments weren't necessarily more accurate than any of the founders at the event, but he was a step deeper than the average person, yet a step shallower than professionals in every area. This position was the most effective for disseminating information.

Many CEOs of large companies may no longer conduct on-the-ground research themselves, so they will sit down and listen to Robbins speak. Robbins chats with experts in various industries to gain insights, organizes the information, and then shares it with these CEOs. He also writes books to bring this information to the general public. He has successfully combined multiple roles, including bestselling author, resource integrator, and top-notch speaker. He has demonstrated the ultimate way to run the "doing business equals integrating resources" path in the United States.

Note: French national football team

Similar logic could be seen in the actions of others in the venue. Andrea from Trendex introduced me to Superstar Coin, which tokenizes members of the French national football team, F1 drivers, and various sports stars. Buying a certain number of tokens grants specific fan benefits. Those who have been in the crypto space for a while should be familiar with this, but not everyone has the ability to secure so many deals. Interestingly, they brought the World Cup trophy to the event, which was my first time seeing it up close. The essence of this type of project is distribution; you're not selling technology, you're selling the influence that star has already accumulated.

Another key conclusion regarding impact came from a conversation I had with former a16z GP Arianna Simpson: if all startups use the same AI development tools and similar ship capabilities in the future, technological differences will converge, and distribution channels and user acquisition capabilities will become decisive advantages. This is a judgment entirely from an investor's perspective, not a technical one.

Note: Former a16z GP Arianna Simpson, billionaire Tim Draper, Luke from Delphi Digital

Enthusiastic audience

If you only look at the podium, this youthfulness seems abstract. But when I shift my gaze from the stage to the audience, things become more intuitive.

The most interesting thing was the photo opportunity. As soon as the people on stage stepped off, they were surrounded by the audience, forming a small circle. This enthusiasm wasn't just the speaker's prerogative; it was a shared sentiment among the audience. Everyone wanted to leave evidence, to prove they were indeed in that room, that they did speak with that person, and that they captured that moment in time.

Those on stage were using terms like 36 months or 5 years to predict the future, while those in the audience were taking photos to capture the present. Both sides shared the same mentality: fear of missing out. This is a very real mirror image.

Note: Trump in the crowd

Those already in the room don't need to prove themselves anymore.

But there was another completely different group of people that day. They walked into the venue, networked briefly, and then sat down to listen to the presentations, without appearing particularly excited. They didn't rush to take photos, didn't shove up to the speakers, and didn't applaud every time data was presented.

When a person truly feels that they belong to a place, they may not be particularly excited about it.

Among this group were representatives from long-established organizations who had been present for over a decade, close friends of these organizations, and regulars who considered such events as leisure gatherings. For them, Mar-a-Lago was not a symbol of identity, but rather a continuation of their daily routine. They sat in the same room as the enthusiastic crowd posing for photos, but lived on two very different frequencies.

Putting these two groups of people in the same room reveals the whole picture of the meeting.

Young America

This country, at least among the people at that event, didn't project a seasoned, mature atmosphere. It acted like an ambitious young person eager to prove themselves and speaking loudly. The crypto industry itself had the same temperament. It had just been recognized by regulators, had just received favorable policy support, and had just seen the SEC's attitude soften. So it was both excited and anxious, wanting to seize every 36 months while also fearing to miss every opportunity.

Speakers used prophecies to pinpoint the future, the audience used group photos to pinpoint the present, and business people used resource integration to secure their position. Only a small group of people who had been in the room for many years sat quietly in the corner, watching the younger generation forcefully declare their existence.

This approach has its limitations. Young people are prone to over-promising. Every prediction may be delayed by reality at the implementation level, and young nations are also prone to confusing "voice" with "capability." Even more alarming is that these predictions and pronouncements often appear exceptionally real in stock prices.

But youth has its advantages. It's willing to redo everything, willing to cram traditional finance, AI, robotics, quantum mechanics, stablecoins—things that should have evolved gradually—into a three-year window. It's willing to take the risk of over-promising because it believes it has time.

Note: The outdoor swimming pool and bar were photographed in the morning; the bar and mini burger bar were not yet set up.

When the event ended, everyone gathered by the pool outside, chatting, eating, and drinking. My friend and I chatted idly as well. To be honest, Mar-a-Lago was quite beautiful; the lawns were meticulously manicured, the food and drinks were fantastic, and the sunshine was wonderful. Sitting there gave you a feeling of being on a high level. This kind of experience can change a person's confidence, which is a very good thing. Later, when communicating with people much more capable than yourself, you'll be more at ease. However, whether it can truly change anything completely depends on each individual. It's like going to your classmate's party; everyone seems to be having a great time, but in the end, everyone goes home and continues with their own anxieties.

Author's Note: This article is based on the author's notes and discussions at the Trump Crypto Conference & Gala Luncheon in Mar a Lago, Palm Beach, in April 2026. The project information and market opinions contained herein are for reference only and do not constitute investment advice.