Building Through Pressure: Web3, AI, and Finding Your People

AthenaX Livestream with Thiru

“You don’t have to leave Web3 to work on AI—you can solve AI’s hardest problems inside Web3.”

Guest Bio

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.

Key Takeaways

Web3 × AI is a real opportunity, not a compromise
Fundamentals matter more than tools or trends
Small wins compound into confidence
Community is built through value exchange, not titles
Pressure can accelerate growth—if you choose to grow

Introduction

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.

Web3 vs AI: Should Developers Pivot?

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.

What Thiru Is Building at Metis

At Metis, the focus is LazAI, an AI-focused Layer 2 settling on Metis.

Key components:

ERC-8028 (Data Anchoring Tokens)
Encrypted on-chain data
Decryption only inside TEE environments
Contributors earn rewards when data is used
Integrated with x402 for autonomous agent payments

This architecture solves:

Data privacy
Data alignment
Fair contributor compensation

Web3 Developers in India: The Reality

India has one of the strongest Web3 developer communities in the world:

Regional guilds and clubs
ETHIndia and global hackathon winners
Indian contributors at major protocols

But there’s a harsh reality:

Visas are a nightmare
Rejections are common—even with full documentation
Developers from lower economic backgrounds face disproportionate friction

Despite this, Indian developers power:

Core DeFi protocols
Security audit firms
Layer 2s and infra projects

Adoption may lag—but talent does not.

Burnout, Hate, and Pushing Forward

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:

Focus on meaningful work
Do the parts of the job he loves (debugging, problem-solving)
Take breaks when needed
Keep moving forward regardless

The Gap Year, Isolation, and Invisible Pressure

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:

Isolation
Peer pressure
A constant feeling of being “behind”

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:

University competitions
Inter-college events
Gradually building confidence

Those wins gave him the courage to enter hackathons and approach seniors—eventually forming teams that won repeatedly.

Finding Your People (and Keeping Them)

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:

Improve your skills
Bring insight or perspective
Add value (not necessarily money or code)

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:

Paid his own college fees
Lived paycheck to paycheck
Took on heavy responsibility early

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.