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- Stephen Tse founded Harmony in 2018, aiming to build a fast, secure, and decentralized blockchain supporting decentralized applications.
- Harmony faced major challenges, including a $100M hack and internal conflicts, but Stephen continues to push innovation and community growth.
Stephen Tse, the visionary of Harmony, was born and raised in Hong Kong. 1997 saw his family move to Vancouver, Canada. Stephen exhibited a strong early curiosity in mathematics and programming languages. After a double major in computer science and mathematics, he proceeded to get a Ph.D. in security protocols from the University of Pennsylvania.
From Microsoft to Apple: The Road to Innovation
Stephen started his professional life working as a researcher at Microsoft Research after finishing his studies. Then he started working for Google as a senior infrastructure engineer, helping on massive projects involving hundreds of millions of people.
Not content to stop there, Stephen also worked for Apple as a principal engineer in search ranking. He started Spotsetter, a mobile search engine company eventually bought by Apple, at this time.
Founding Harmony: Stephen’s Bold Leap into Blockchain
Stephen started Harmony in 2018, having a lot of technological knowledge. Simple but ambitious was his aim: to build a decentralized application supporting a fast, safe, decentralized blockchain platform.
Harmony became the first blockchain to apply sharding in a proof-of-stake network under his direction, an astounding feat in the blockchain space.
Security Breach and Internal Struggles at Harmony
Harmony’s path has not always been clear sailing, though. The Horizon bridge of the network had a significant hack in June 2022 when $100 million worth of Ethereum tokens were pilfers. The corporation responded with a $1 million reward for the information on the exploit and the restitution of the pilfers.
Moreover, some former team members and ecosystem builders claimed Stephen and other executives of mismanagement and promise delivery failure, which helped to explain the drop in platform users and developers. Conversely, there have also been claims of internal strife, including one in which a dissatisfied developer physically attacked Stephen in the Palo Alto office over a financial issue.
Beyond Challenges: Stephen Tse’s Unwavering Dedication
Stephen keeps Harmony under direction with an eye on innovation and community involvement in spite of obstacles. To further blockchain education and research, he participates in several projects, including serving on the Advisory Board of the Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation at the University of Wyoming.
Reflecting his will to take Harmony and the blockchain sector to much higher heights, his passion for technology and community is still enormous.
From Hong Kong to the top of the IT industry, Stephen Tse’s journey is one of vision, tenacity, and adaptation. Notwithstanding challenges and difficulties, his commitment to creativity and community always drives his leadership.
His narrative reminds us that, behind every innovative technology, there is someone with a great ambition and the will to realize it even if the road is full of difficulties.
