[E1] From Expelled Student at Seoul National University to CTO of a Crypto Startup

A few years ago, Taek, the CTO of ZeroDev, was expelled from Seoul National University (SNU), often referred to as the Harvard of South Korea. After his expulsion, Taek has since emerged as a top performer at Code4rena, a security researcher at Spearbit, and the CTO of ZeroDev. Today, we explore Taek’s journey in crypto, the story behind his expulsion from SNU, strategies for generating recurring revenue, the biggest challenges and lessons learned as a CTO of a crypto startup, his advice for security researchers, and his insights on the landscape and interoperability of account abstraction. [TIMESTAMPES] 0:00 Introduction 0:40 Overview of Zerodev 1:09 Starting in Crypto 2:52 Engineer's Dilemma 4:25 Working as a Security Researcher 6:56 Expelled from Seoul National University 10:34 Joining Zerodev as CTO 16:08 Why Zerodev? 17:29 Account Abstraction & Zerodev's Role 20:50 Interoperability of Account Abstraction 24:33 UX of Account Abstraction 28:36 Getting Married 32:12 Lessons from Being Expelled 32:42 Recurring Income from Code4rena 33:35 Freelancer vs. CTO 35:40 Challenges in a B2B Crypto Startup 38:27 Taek's Mission 39:05 Defining Crypto OGs 39:40 Embedded Accounts 40:56 Predicting the Future of Account Abstraction 42:26 Coinbase’s Strategy 44:32 Major Players in Account Abstraction 45:05 Next Steps 46:08 Motivation 48:47 Advice for Junior Security Researchers 50:18 Closing Thoughts __________________________________ [FOLLOW TAEK & ZERODEV👇] • Taek: https://x.com/leekt216 • ZeroDev: https://x.com/zerodev_app [FOLLOW PFP PODCAST👇] • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod • Twitter: https://twitter.com/PFPpod • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EjrWcgasA3AQlYkXFFSV8?si=dd4132dcc2ee436f • Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profile-pictures/id1762620325 [FOLLOW CO-HOSTS👇] • Brian: https://x.com/brianjhhong • Jessie: https://x.com/0xJESSIE_ • JW: https://x.com/pillarbear_ __________________________________ [DISCLAIMER] The information provided herein is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The content of this video reflects the opinions of the speakers, who are not licensed financial advisors or registered investment advisors. Trading cryptocurrencies carries a significant risk of loss, and the speakers make no guarantees regarding any specific outcomes.