a16z report: AI once siphoned off encryption talent, but the industry has added a net of 1,000 positions! Talent with a financial background is accelerating its influx.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) pointed out in the “2025 Crypto Assets Status Report” released on Wednesday that despite approximately 1,000 jobs flowing from crypto companies to AI startups since the emergence of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the crypto industry has supplemented an equivalent number of professionals from other sectors, achieving a net increase of about 1,000 jobs. The report emphasizes that professionals from sectors such as technology, finance, and consulting are accelerating their entry into the crypto space, diversifying the talent pipeline, indicating that the industry is regaining confidence and accelerating its integration with TradFi.

Talent Mobility Trends: AI Attracts Tech Talent, But the Crypto Industry Successfully Fills the Gap

a16z's analysis shows that the Crypto Assets industry has successfully resisted the “talent siphoning effect” brought by AI after experiencing dark times such as the FTX collapse, and has gained new momentum from broader TradFi sectors.

· AI causes talent loss: Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the workforce in Crypto Assets has been impacted by the early surge of AI, with approximately 1,000 jobs shifting to AI startups.

· Net growth of 1000 positions: The Crypto Assets industry has supplemented the talent lost by recruiting from other industries, achieving a target of approximately 1000 net new positions.

· Sources of talent inflow: The largest inflow comes from technology companies (over 12,000 professionals), followed by the finance and consulting sectors (about 6,000).

· Market Dynamics and Recovery: The arrival of ChatGPT coincides with a low point in the Crypto Assets industry, but report analysis shows that over 12,000 people have flowed in or out of Crypto Assets positions during this period, indicating a vibrant job market.

Signs of Industry Maturity: Influx of Financial Background Talent and the Explosion of Stablecoins

The background of new employees in the crypto industry is changing, as the influx of finance and fintech professionals reflects the accelerated trend of the industry integrating with the TradFi system, while stablecoins become a strong signal of maturity.

· Integration with TradFi: a16z's analysis shows that new encryption positions are increasingly being filled by professionals with backgrounds in finance and fintech, reflecting the gradual integration of the industry with the traditional financial system.

· Diversification of talent demand: The talent pipeline in the crypto space is extending beyond developers, with increasing demand for compliance, infrastructure, and product experts.

· Market confidence returns: The global market capitalization of crypto assets has surpassed $4 trillion, with Bitcoin reaching new heights. A friendly regulatory tone and deep institutional participation both signify the return of confidence in the industry.

· Signals of Stablecoin Maturity: Stablecoins have been recognized as one of the strongest signals of maturity in the crypto industry, processing approximately $9 trillion in the past 12 months, an increase of 87% compared to a year ago. This figure exceeds half of Visa's annual payment volume and is more than five times that of PayPal.

The Centralization of AI Power and the Hedging of Crypto Decentralization

a16z compares the obvious trend of power concentration in the AI industry with the core decentralization spirit of the Crypto Assets industry, believing that blockchain is a key hedging tool to balance the centralized power of AI.

· Concentration of power in the AI field: OpenAI and Anthropic control 88% of the revenue of native AI companies; Amazon, Microsoft, and Google occupy 63% of the cloud infrastructure market; NVIDIA holds 94% of the data center GPU market.

· The hedging effect of blockchain: a16z points out that blockchain can serve as a “counterforce” to the centralized power of AI by supporting open networks, verifiable computation, and transparent data systems.

· Trading standards for AI Agent: x402 and other emerging encryption standards aim to support autonomous AI agents, enabling them to conduct microtransactions and access APIs without intermediaries. Gartner predicts that this market could reach $30 trillion by 2030.

Conclusion

a16z's report depicts a crypto industry that is strongly rebounding from its low point, with an increasingly optimized talent structure. Although AI has taken away some of the early technical talents, the crypto field has proven its ongoing appeal as an emerging economy by attracting fresh blood from industries like TradFi. With the influx of financial professionals, the integration of Crypto Assets and TradFi will further accelerate. More importantly, the decentralized spirit of blockchain is seen as an important counterbalance to the excessive concentration of power in the AI field, providing a new narrative and fundamental support for the core position of encryption technology in the future digital economy.

Disclaimer: This article is news information and does not constitute any investment advice. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and investors should make decisions cautiously.