AthenaX Livestream with Thiru
Thiru is a Web3 developer and DevRel at Metis, with deep experience across hackathons, Layer 2 ecosystems, and developer education. He has built across multiple chains, won 30+ hackathons, contributed to developer communities in India, and now focuses on Web3 × AI infrastructure, privacy-preserving data, and autonomous agent tooling.
In a market where many developers are abandoning crypto to chase AI, Thiru’s story offers a grounded counterpoint.
From taking a gap year under intense social pressure, to winning dozens of hackathons, to retiring his parents at 21, Thiru’s journey is about compounding skills, community, and resilience—even when the odds are stacked against you.
This AthenaX livestream explores Web3 vs AI, developer life in India, visas, burnout, community-building, and why fundamentals still matter more than trends.
Question: Many developers are dropping crypto to pivot fully into AI. What’s your take?
Thiru:
The market is unpredictable, and pivoting to AI is a safe bet right now. But you don’t have to leave Web3 to work on AI.
There are growing Web3 × AI projects solving real problems—data privacy, alignment, payments, and autonomy—that AI alone struggles with.
You can solve AI-native problems inside Web3, create internal economic value, and still benefit from the AI boom without abandoning crypto.
At Metis, the focus is LazAI, an AI-focused Layer 2 settling on Metis.
Key components:
This architecture solves:
India has one of the strongest Web3 developer communities in the world:
But there’s a harsh reality:
Despite this, Indian developers power:
Adoption may lag—but talent does not.
Thiru openly shared experiences with burnout, online harassment, & racist DMs sent anonymously.
Some messages were deeply disturbing, including threats and graphic content.
“If someone can stop your progress with a horrible DM, it becomes impossible to move forward.”
His approach:
Taking a gap year in India isn’t normalized.
Thiru failed to crack the Joint Entrance Exam twice, missed his dream of aerospace engineering, and enrolled in a nearby computer science college instead.
That year came with:
He describes it as survival mode—unable to treat college casually, always feeling like time was running out.
At the end of his first year, he had one friend.
What changed everything were small wins:
Those wins gave him the courage to enter hackathons and approach seniors—eventually forming teams that won repeatedly.
Question: How did you actually find your circle?
Thiru: Reaching out is easy. Retaining relationships is the real work.
Cold DMs, hackathons, conferences—all help. But what matters is showing progress the second and third time you meet someone.
If you:
Then relationships compound.
“If I improve between meetings, it creates respect.”
Shared values, shared hustle, and mutual respect eventually form a real community.
Thiru set a goal early: retire his parents before graduating college.
He:
It was terrifying—but it forced rapid growth.
“When I take hard decisions that challenge my skills and mentality, I outgrow them fast.”
The pressure removed optionality—but sharpened execution.