• Junior marketing execution (production heavy content, scheduling, first pass edits)
• Reporting heavy data work (dashboards, KPIs, monitoring that stops at “here are the numbers”)
• Pure execution roles to cover for unclear direction, too many approval steps, or security checks holding things up

AI relocates risk, changing what’s hired

• bad transactions
• exploited flows
• governance incidents
• reputational damage that shows up on crypto twitter or worse, the media

Why the AI x blockchain landscape is accelerating

• permissions (what is the system allowed to do?)
• identity (who or what is acting?)
• audit trails (what happened, exactly?)
• settlement (how does value move safely?)

The hiring map that’s forming for 2026

1: Specialists who own decisions

• content production becomes smaller teams + stronger editors + better tooling
• reporting becomes fewer dashboards, more ownership of decisions
• broad execution hiring becomes a lot more selective

2: New ‘backbone’ hires

• wallets
• trading/execution
• risk engines
• compliance
• security boundaries

Areas of AI x blockchain that will be hiring

1) AI systems that safety proof wallets and transactions

2) Onchain ML for fraud, risk, and integrity

• wash trading patterns
• bridge abuse detection
• MEV and liquidation behaviours
• suspicious flow monitoring

3) AI security for agentic systems

• permission boundaries
• sandboxing
• key management
• secure tool execution
• policy enforcement

4) Auditability, provenance, and “show your work”

• what the system saw
• what it decided
• what it executed
• whether it followed policy

5) DeFi infrastructure roles that cross systems + judgement

• risk engines
• monitoring pipelines
• integrity tooling
• execution policies
• incident response

So what does this mean for crypto hiring in 2026?

If you’re hiring

• anything that can move funds
• anything that can change market outcomes
• anything that can create a security incident
• anything that will be on Crypto Twitter when it goes wrong

If you’re job hunting

Where Plexus fits

If you have ever fired off an application for a Crypto job and wondered whether anyone actually reads it, this one is for you. There is a lot of noise online about AI screening, “broken hiring processes,” and recruiters ignoring perfectly good candidates. The reality is a bit more nuanced.

We sat down with one of our delivery consultants Lauryn Ifill, to lift the lid on what actually goes on behind the scenes when you apply for a Crypto role. Here is what she had to say.

Human vs AI. Who actually reviews your application?

Do you review every application yourself?

Yes. Every single applicant gets looked at by a real person at Plexus. People often assume we batch everything into AI tools, but Web3 is too messy and too fast-moving for that. You’d miss out on great candidates if you didn’t actually dig into their experience.

Does automated screening actually help?

Only for very simple roles. AI still isn’t smart enough to understand Web3 nuance. It can’t tell the difference between someone who has been at a protocol for 6 months because of a market cycle, versus someone who hops every 3 months. It can’t tell what a good project looks like. It doesn’t understand the blurred lines between job titles and actual responsibilities. Helpful for admin tasks, not helpful for judgement.

What would an AI tool miss that you spot instantly?

Tenure. Impact. Context.
In Web3, duration of employment is a massive deal. Some founders want people who grew through multiple cycles with a project. Others want those who were hands-on during very specific periods of success. Standard applicant tracking tools just are not there yet. They see dates. They don’t see meaning.

What actually makes an application worth progressing?

Meeting the requirements. It sounds obvious, but about 90 percent of applicants do not meet even one requirement for the role. For the remaining 10 percent, we look at credibility. Which projects did you contribute to? Did the project grow while you were there? Did you actually drive outcomes?

That is what gets you through.

The practical stuff applicants never see

What gets a CV moved to the “maybe later” pile?

Lack of information. Vague titles like “freelancer.” Completely blank LinkedIn profiles. Anything that looks like you applied on a whim. If we have 1000+ applicants to get through, naturally we are going to prioritise the people who lay out their experience clearly.

What makes you fast-track someone?

Crypto is a name game. If you have worked for a strong brand or protocol, yes it helps. But it still has to match the role. A defi protocol background won’t necessarily help for an RWA project. Fast tracking applicants only happens when your experience aligns perfectly with what the project needs at that time.

How often do you recalibrate with the hiring manager?

All the time. There is a lot of noise on LinkedIn about roles being reposted after people get rejected. Usually this is just because the business has realised new requirements after the first interview rounds. Web3 priorities shift fast. A search might be completely recalibrated halfway through if the business needs have changed. It is not incompetence. It is the nature of a young, rapidly evolving industry.

How strict are founders about requirements?

Extremely. These teams are still small and every early hire has a direct impact on whether the project sinks or scales. This is not the environment for speculative hires or “potential.” Founders want safe hands with a proven track record.

Advice for applicants

The biggest mistake candidates make

Applying for roles they are not qualified for. All it does is inflate your rejection count. If you genuinely believe you can add value despite not meeting the listed experience, you should speak directly to the founder, not a recruiter.

What makes a CV easy to champion?

Real impact. Strong projects. Tangible evidence of success and growth.

You can ignore the CV coaches and AI polishing tools. Pretty formatting won’t fix weak experience. Recruiters and founders care about what you have done, not how glossy your document looks.

Final thoughts

A lot of the mystery around Web3 hiring comes from the fact that people assume there is some secret filtering process happening behind the curtain. In reality, most of it still relies on human decision-making, constant communication with founders, and a very clear understanding of what makes someone genuinely qualified.

If you take anything away from this, let it be this.
Match the requirements. Show your impact. Make your experience easy to understand.

Do that, and you are already ahead of 90 percent of applicants in Web3.

How to Hire a CTO in Crypto: Insights from Crypto Headhunters

Hiring a Chief Technology Officer in crypto isn’t easy. Competition is fierce, and the people you want are usually already founders or sitting on serious equity.

To unpack what actually works when hiring senior technical leaders in Web3, I spoke with Aaron Harrison, Delivery Manager at Plexus, who’s spent years headhunting CTOs for DeFi, infrastructure, and Layer 2 projects.

Here’s what he’s learned about finding, engaging, and securing a great Crypto CTO.

Web3 CTOs are different

“The biggest difference between a Web3 CTO and a Web2 CTO? They’re still builders,” Aaron told me.

In Web2, CTOs often step back from the codebase and become pure people managers. In crypto, that’s not really an option.

“Most of these CTOs have come straight from being super hands-on. If a project has six engineers, you can bet the CTO is still coding, doing reviews, and architecting,” he said.

It makes sense. Most Web3 companies are smaller and earlier stage, which means their tech leaders need to be both strategic and technical. A good crypto CTO is part visionary, part engineer.

Why it’s so hard to hire a crypto CTO

“It’s always competitive,” Aaron said. “The best CTOs are usually co-founders. Why would they leave?”

That’s the reality. In Web3, many of the top tech leaders already have equity or tokens that tie them in long-term. So getting them to move takes more than just money.

Aaron explained that the right moment to approach someone is often when their current company has plateaued.

“If a project’s growth has stalled or their token’s fully vested, that’s when they might start looking for something new,” he said.

This is where the best recruiters earn their money. You need to know which projects are slowing down, which are thriving, and where the next opportunity lies for someone who wants a new challenge.

What actually motivates a CTO to move

“It’s the vision,” Aaron said. “CTOs don’t leave for a pay rise. They move when they believe in what the company’s building and want a stake in it.”

He’s seen it again and again. For top technical talent, money isn’t the driving factor. The work, the mission, and the potential upside are what matter.

“The role and responsibilities of a CTO don’t really change that much,” he said. “What changes is the vision of the business and the trajectory it’s on.”

If you’re hiring a CTO in crypto, you need to be able to tell a clear story about what you’re building and why it matters. The vague ‘we’re revolutionising finance’ spiel doesn’t cut it. They want substance.

The biggest challenge in the process

“They’re busy,” Aaron said, laughing. “CTOs at early-stage projects are some of the busiest people in the world.”

Because of that, Aaron sets what he calls “rules of engagement” early on.

“You can’t just call them all the time. I set expectations around when to talk, how to keep things private, and what works best for their schedule,” he said. “It keeps everything efficient and respectful.”

That kind of professionalism goes a long way in this industry. Crypto is small, and reputation matters.

Where great crypto CTOs come from

While some are pure Web3 natives, Aaron often looks at what he calls “Web 2.5” talent.

“We target people at companies like on-ramps or off-ramps, or fintechs with crypto offerings,” he explained. “They understand traditional systems but already have exposure to blockchain.”

This hybrid background often makes them ideal hires for projects that need to scale fast but still want solid engineering foundations.

The rise of the public-facing CTO

Another trend Aaron’s seeing is the rise of the “brand CTO”.

“In crypto, most people know the CTOs behind big projects,” he said. “They become the spokesperson for the business and the tech. Sometimes they’re even more recognised than the CEO.”

That means a great Web3 CTO today needs more than just technical depth. They need to be able to communicate – whether that’s on stage at a conference, in community AMAs, or when explaining the product to investors.

What makes Plexus good at CTO headhunting

So how does Plexus consistently place high-level technical leaders in one of the most competitive markets out there?

According to Aaron, it comes down to three things:

1. Relationships.
“We speak to CTOs every day. Whether they’re hiring or not, we’ve built strong, long-term relationships with most of the major players.”

2. Understanding the tech.
“We don’t just read a job description. We actually understand what these companies are building and can explain it properly.”

3. Selling the vision.
“For a CTO, it’s not just about the day-to-day. It’s about the bigger picture. The mission, the upside, the impact. We can bring that to life.”

Key takeaways for founders hiring in Web3

If you’re building a crypto company and looking for a CTO, here’s what to keep in mind:

✅ Hire someone who’s still close to the tech.
✅ Lead with your vision, not just the salary.
✅ Respect their time and keep communication structured.
✅ Be able to explain why your project actually matters.

At Plexus, we’ve been helping Web3 companies find the right technical leadership since 2017.

If you’re a founder looking for someone who can take your project from idea to impact, click here to book a call and explore your options.

We’re sourcing the very best in Web3 talent.

Hiring in crypto is a challenge. Fast-moving market, global competition, fake CVs, and high expectations from both founders and candidates. Getting it wrong costs time and money – getting it right can define your entire product roadmap.

Plexus has been recruiting in Web3 since 2017, helping founders build high-performing teams across DeFi, infrastructure, gaming, Layer 1s, Layer 2s, and everything in between.

Trusted by Top Crypto Projects

We’ve helped scale teams for:

zkSync, Lido, Celestia, Filecoin, dYdX Foundation, Galxe, Frax, Maple, Euler, Berachain, Sophon, Omni, Movement, Plume, The Sandbox, and more.

From pre-seed to post-raise, we’ve supported companies at every stage of growth.

Why Leading Web3 Teams Work With Us

🧠 Specialists, Not Generalists

Every Plexus consultant focuses on a specific niche — so you’re never dealing with someone who’s just Googled “Solidity.”

You’ll work with someone who gets your stack and understands your hiring needs.

Examples:

• Smart contract engineers in the Solana ecosystem
• US-based BD and partnerships roles
• Solidity devs for DeFi protocols
• Product managers for ZK infrastructure
• Founding marketers for Layer 1s

📈 We Have Real Scale

This isn’t a one-person show.

• 45+ recruiters covering global roles
• 100+ active open roles at any one time
• 300+ successful placements per year

We’ve got the team, infrastructure, and delivery power to help you grow, fast.

Whether you’re hiring one role or twenty, we’ve got the bandwidth and processes to support you without sacrificing quality.

⚙️ Boutique Service, Big Agency Scale

Here’s what sets us apart:

• 45+ recruiters working globally
• 100+ active roles live at any one time
• 300+ placements made every year
• A candidate database of over 600,000 people
• Offices in London and Miami

We combine the high-touch service of a boutique firm with the scale, systems, and delivery capability of a larger agency.

You’ll get a dedicated point of contact and a team behind them who can handle multiple roles at speed, without compromising quality.

🔍 We Filter the Noise

Around 10% of Web3 applicants are fake – AI-generated CVs, borrowed GitHubs, you name it. We catch them before they ever reach your inbox.

Our vetting process includes:

• Deep-dive technical screening
• On-chain activity checks
• Communication and culture fit reviews

Only strong, qualified candidates make it through.

🌍 We’re Global

With offices in London and now Miami, we’ve got a worldwide reach, placing talent across the UK, US, Europe, Asia, and LatAm.

No matter where you’re building, we know the local talent market, comp benchmarks, and how to move fast.

TL;DR

If you’re building a Web3 team and want a recruitment partner who:

• Understands the crypto ecosystem
• Has global reach and proven delivery power
• Can support multiple hires with specialist insight

We’re ready when you are. Book a call with one of our consultants!

Every time the crypto market appears to take a downturn, the same question is asked: ‘Is cryptocurrency dead?’ With regulatory crackdowns, high-profile collapses, and price volatility, it’s easy to see these concerns and questions have arisen. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that crypto is no stranger to dramatic highs and lows.

Bitcoin, for example, has been declared “dead” countless times, yet it continues to bounce back – something we explored in our recent article. But what about cryptocurrency as a whole? Has the entire industry peaked, or is it simply evolving? 

Let’s explore cryptocurrency, answering the all important questions, such as ‘is crypto dead?’ and ‘why is crypto crashing and will it recover?’ to find out whether there’s any truth behind the headlines.

What is cryptocurrency?

In case you’ve been living under a rock, let’s give a brief explanation of what cryptocurrency is. Cryptocurrency, otherwise known as crypto, is a digital currency that operates independently of central banks, using cryptographic technology to secure transactions. Unlike traditional currencies issued by governments, cryptocurrencies operate on decentralised networks, typically built on blockchain technology. All of this means that no central authority owns the currency, and makes it highly secure, transparent, and resistant to fraud or manipulation. 

Probably the two most well-known examples of cryptocurrency are Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, created in 2009 as a decentralised digital alternative to traditional money. Ethereum, launched in 2015, goes beyond digital currency by enabling smart contracts – self-executing agreements that power dApps, DeFi, and NFTs. While Bitcoin focuses on secure, peer-to-peer transactions, Ethereum’s flexibility has made it the foundation for much of the modern blockchain ecosystem.

Crypto’s boom and bust cycles

Cryptocurrency has always been a volatile market, experiencing huge increases and sharp declines. While skeptics often see each trough as the end of crypto, history shows that these cycles are a natural part of the industry’s evolution. 

The 2018 bear market followed Bitcoin’s extensive rise to nearly $20,000 in 2017, only to see it crash by over 80% soon after. More recently, the 2022 FTX collapse sent shockwaves through the market, reducing value by billions of dollars and hugely knocking investor confidence. However, crypto eventually rebounded in both cases, proving its resilience.

Much like with traditional finance, the crypto market follows cycles, shaped by factors such as speculation, adoption, and wider economic trends. While the media often blows downturns out of proportion, the bigger picture shows that crypto has a habit of bouncing back, evolving, and coming back even stronger after each dip.

Why is crypto crashing and will it recover?

So, now we know that it’s likely this recent dip in cryptocurrency is no more than a bump in the road, let’s explore the reasons behind the crash and learn whether or not it will recover. These recent fluctuations in cryptocurrency have been caused by a number of different things, including regulatory crackdowns, huge high-profile hacks and rising interest rates.

However, as we have already mentioned, history suggests that recovery is possible. In fact, according to Binance.com, ‘every market crash has been followed by a period of rebirth.’  Past crashes, such as the 2018 bear market, were followed by periods of innovation and renewed investor interest. While experts remain divided on the pace of recovery, many believe that as the industry matures and regulatory clarity improves, confidence will return. 

How will crypto recover?

The road to recovery for cryptocurrency lies in several key factors: regulation, institutional adoption, and technological advancements. As the market continues to fluctuate, it’s important to understand what will drive its resurgence and long-term growth. Let’s explore how regulation and adoption by major institutions, along with advancements in blockchain technology, will shape the future of crypto.

Regulatory changes

Regulation remains one of the biggest factors in whether or not crypto will fail or fly. While some fear that increased oversight could stifle innovation, others argue that clear regulations will strengthen the industry by increasing investor confidence and reducing fraud. Finding a balance between over- and under-regulation is essential to the continuation of cryptocurrencies across the globe.

Institutional adoption

Another important factor behind the future success of cryptocurrency is the institutional adoption. Luckily for crypto investors, major financial institutions like BlackRock and Fidelity are already entering the space, legitimising it as an asset class. Governments worldwide are also exploring digital asset frameworks, suggesting that regulation may help integrate crypto into mainstream finance rather than eliminate it.

Crypto is also becoming more integrated into traditional finance systems. Big banks are starting to experiment with tokenised assets, helping to bring much-needed stability to the market.

Technological and industry developments

Blockchain technology is quickly evolving and driving change across a wide range of industries. Beyond just digital currencies, innovations like DeFi, NFTs, Web3, and gaming are opening up new ways to use and benefit from blockchain. These developments are transforming crypto from simply being a store of value into something that has real-world applications.

At the same time, Layer 2 solutions are tackling the scalability issues that have long been a challenge for blockchain networks. Tools like Ethereum’s rollups and the Lightning Network are helping to ease congestion and speed up transactions, making blockchain technology more usable in everyday life.

How can Plexus RS help?

So, is crypto dying? We don’t think so. In fact, we believe the opposite. The world is entering a new digital age, and we will start to see cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin thrive once again!

Crypto and Web3 are evolving, and companies need the right talent to navigate the changes. Plexus RS connects businesses with top-tier professionals who can drive growth in blockchain, DeFi, and digital assets.

Whether you’re a company looking for specialists or a professional seeking opportunities, Plexus RS is positioned to help you succeed. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you!

Over the past 90 days, we analysed 221 of our live vacancies across the crypto space.

And the most in-demand role?

Marketing.

Yes, more than smart contract engineers, more than front-end devs, more than business development. 

Marketing took the top spot!

And within those roles, a pattern emerged:
“X amount of followers.”
“Someone with a voice.”
“Someone who isn’t afraid to be the new face of our product.”

So why is marketing the hottest hire in Web3 right now – and why is an industry that’s built on anonymity suddenly making personal brand a requirement?

To understand the shift, you have to understand the current state of crypto.

The Current State of Crypto: We were building, now we’re selling

Momentum is back in Web3. And some projects have managed to capture that much-coveted mindshare of the crypto audience.

Projects with deep pockets are investing heavily in pay-to-play promotions on platforms like Kaito or Cookie3, where brands pay verified KOLs (key opinion leaders) to tweet, discuss, or “yap” about their project.

It’s influencer marketing for crypto – at scale.

And while it drives reach quickly, it’s not cheap. It favours already-funded projects that can afford to flood the feed.

Then there are airdrops.

Take Hyperliquid. They gained phenomenal support and a wave of new users by airdropping over $7 billion worth of HYPE tokens to early users. It rewarded loyalty, drove huge buzz, and put them front and centre in the crypto conversation.

Phantom Wallet, Safe, and Rainbow have also leaned hard into community-led growth and strong UX-driven comms. Even Optimism and Polygon have reworked their GTM strategies, pushing new narratives to stand out in a crowded L2 space.

The result?

Projects are finally accepting that great tech alone doesn’t drive traction.

You need a voice. A story. A reason to care.

The Crypto Marketing boom

We’re seeing a clear trend: founders want marketers with personal brands.

They’re not hiring someone to sit behind a dashboard and optimise ads.

They want someone who can:

• Own the narrative
• Host Twitter Spaces
• Show up at events
• Get quoted on podcasts
• Be the face of the brand

In crypto, being a CMO today means being public-facing, strategic, and loud (in the best way). And for early-stage teams without big airdrops or pay-to-play campaign budgets, a CMO with a strong personal brand is a distribution hack.

They bring:

• Established networks: Access to real audiences across X, Farcaster, Discord and more
• Authentic voice: They shape the narrative, not just repeat it
• Community trust: Instant credibility in a trust-sceptical industry

In short, they’re part brand builder, part ambassador, part KOL.

How Do You Find Crypto Marketing Candidates?

Finding a marketer with a strong personal brand, real on-chain knowledge, and the ability to front a project isn’t easy – but it’s what we do.

Here’s how:

We don’t just search CVs – we search timelines

We spend time on Crypto Twitter, Farcaster, Telegram – wherever the real conversations are happening.
If someone’s shaping narratives and building community in public, we notice.

We look beyond job titles

Some of the best candidates don’t have “CMO” in their title – yet.
They might be leading growth at a DAO, building a high-signal newsletter, or running a meme account with insane reach. We look at impact, not labels.

We vet for context

Voice matters – but only if it’s backed by understanding.
We screen for people who get the tech (rollups, restaking, TGE) and can talk about it clearly, without jargon.

We already know them

We’ve placed them. Hired them. Worked with them.
Across DeFi, infra, L1s, NFTs, we’ve built the network, and we know who’s quietly (or loudly) crushing it.

Hiring a marketing lead in crypto isn’t about finding someone who looks good on paper.
It’s about someone who has trust, attention, and context, and knows how to use all three.

Marketing in Web3

Marketing has always mattered. But in Web3, it’s evolved into something else entirely – part KOL, part educator, part brand ambassador.

Right now, the best projects understand that attention is currency.
And the best marketers don’t just bring skills, they bring distribution, credibility, and a voice that cuts through the noise.

So whether you’re a stealth startup preparing to launch, or a protocol looking to scale, make sure you’re hiring for what the role actually demands today, not what it meant two years ago.

Need help finding a Crypto Marketer?

We’ve placed Heads of Marketing, CMOs, and Growth Leads across DeFi, L1s, infra, and NFTs.

Drop us a message and let’s find the voice of your brand.

Bitcoin Goes to Washington: The Birth of the ‘Crypto President’

Lately, Bitcoin seems to be making headlines for more than just market movements—it’s entering the political arena.

In the space of about three weeks, we’ve had:

• Political candidates propose rival ways to integrate BTC into the US financial system
• Trump headline the BTC conference
• A US Senator formally propose a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve
• Polymarket – crypto political betting market – crossed $1 billion in total transactions
• Political crypto donations on the rise

Bitcoin went to Washington, and it’s making an impression. Let’s explore what Bitcoin’s political phase means for the developing crypto economy.

Trump and the Bitcoin Conference

Every conversation seems to include Donald Trump, so let’s start there. During his headline speech in Nashville, Trump made several notable promises:

• Regulatory transparency and a push to make the US the “crypto capital of the world”
• A pledge to abandon efforts toward a US central bank digital currency (CBDC)
• Establishment of a strategic bitcoin reserve

These pledges are currently just talk, with no guarantee they will be realized even if Trump is re-elected. Nonetheless, the emphasis on Bitcoin is significant and extends beyond Trump. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a third-party candidate, also discussed the concept of a Bitcoin reserve, proposing an executive order to purchase bitcoin daily until the Federal Reserve amassed 4 million bitcoins.

RFK and “Bitcoin Fort Knox”

Kennedy’s idea, likened to a “Bitcoin Fort Knox”, shows how the concept of a cryptocurrency reserve is gaining traction. This idea is drawing interest from Trump’s conservative supporters as well as Kennedy’s more libertarian base.

Democrats Push to be more BTC-friendly

The Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris, has been historically anti-crypto, similar to Trump in his earlier years. However, voices within her party are encouraging her to adopt a more pro-crypto stance. Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who attended the Bitcoin conference, has been in discussions with Harris and is organizing further crypto-focused events.

While Harris will not attend these conferences directly, her decision to send representatives indicates a shift in her campaign’s approach to crypto. As Bitcoin’s popularity and cultural influence grow, all political factions are being compelled to address it more seriously.

The Increasing Appeal of a “Bitcoin Strategic Reserve”

Interest in a Bitcoin reserve is growing beyond the political class. While political factions view it as a means to attract voters, there is also a belief that such a reserve could have significant financial impacts. According to Lewis McLellan, editor of the OMFIF’s Digital Monetary Institute, acquiring 200,000 bitcoins a year over five years could significantly impact the price of Bitcoin by reducing its free-floating supply, thus attracting campaign finance donations from those with substantial bitcoin holdings.

Two Ways Washington Uses Bitcoin

Washington’s political class is already leveraging Bitcoin and crypto in two main ways: campaign donations and political betting. Trump’s campaign, which has raised over $4 million in crypto donations, was the first to accept such contributions. As crypto donations become more normalized, they could play a larger role in campaign financing.

Polymarket, a crypto-based political betting platform, has also gained traction, reaching over $1 billion in total transactions. This platform integrates crypto culture with politics, attracting significant participation and spawning competitors like Drift Labs.

Conclusion

The 2024 US election cycle highlights Bitcoin’s growing political influence. With politicians increasingly viewing crypto as a mainstream issue, this trend could lead to greater crypto adoption and integration into the financial system. Whether through campaign donations or strategic reserves, Bitcoin is becoming a more prominent feature of the political landscape.

Interested in joining a fast-paced and competitive market? Curious about opportunities in web3 and blockchain? Contact our recruiters today.

Plexus keeps a close eye on senior dev salaries, and over the past few years we’ve seen an interesting trend grow right in front of our eyes.

These are senior developer salaries for the Rust, Solidity, and Go (Golang) programming languages. Rust and Solidity salaries are steadily rising, while Golang senior salaries are moving slightly downward.

What’s it all mean? Plexus talked to Thomas Tyrie, one of our consultants, to get his take. Get an overview of where these trends are coming from, what it all means, and how it relates to the broader industry in the article below.

Origins and Use Cases

Before we jump in, it’s worth a quick look at what Rust, Solidity, and Golang are and how they are used in the blockchain and web3 world.

Go (Golang)

Origin and Purpose

Go, aka Golang, was released by Google in 2009. It was designed to be simple, efficient, and easy to read, primarily targeting system programming, large-scale software, and web development.

Key Features

• Simplicity– straightforward syntax that is easy to learn and read.
• Concurrency – built-in support for concurrent programming using goroutines, which are lightweight threads managed by the Go runtime.
• Performance – compiled to machine code, making it fast and efficient.
• Garbage Collection – automatic memory management to prevent memory leaks.
• Standard Library – extensive and robust standard library facilitates rapid development.

Rust

Origin and Purpose

Rust was developed by Mozilla and first released in 2010. It aims to provide safety and performance, making it suitable for system-level programming.

Key Features

• Memory Safety: Ensures memory safety without a garbage collector through a system of ownership with rules checked at compile time.
• Performance: As a compiled language, it provides performance comparable to C and C++.
• Concurrency: Offers safe concurrency without data races, which are common issues in concurrent programming.
• Zero-Cost Abstractions: Allows high-level abstractions without the overhead typically associated with them.
• Community and Ecosystem: Strong community support and growing ecosystem, especially in systems programming and web assembly.

Solidity

Origin and Purpose

Solidity was developed by contributors to the Ethereum project and first appeared in 2014. It is specifically designed for writing smart contracts on blockchain platforms, particularly Ethereum.

Key Features

• Smart Contracts: Tailored for creating and deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain.
• Syntax: Similar to JavaScript, making it accessible for developers familiar with web development.
• Blockchain Interaction: Includes features for interacting with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), such as event logging and contract calls.
• Security: Emphasizes secure coding practices to prevent common vulnerabilities in smart contracts.
• Decentralization: Used in decentralized applications (DApps) and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) projects.

Three Reasons for Rust & Solidity

Why are Rust and Solidity senior salaries on the upswing? Thomas identifies three primary reasons.

Market maturity

First, the broader crypto market is both larger and more mature than it used to be. While the total market cap ($2.48 trillion at time of writing) hasn’t fully returned to the heights of 2021, the market is nevertheless vastly improved from recent lows.

And as the market grows, it matures. Thomas says, “As the web3 space expands and protocols mature, there’s a high demand for skilled senior engineers, driving up salaries significantly.”

Put simply, senior projects demand senior engineers. And a more mature market produces more engineers with the skillset to qualify as such. Rust and Solidity are both mature languages (over a decade for Solidity, the newer of the two) being used in increasingly sophisticated applications. 

Supply and Demand

Thomas identifies the second reason as straightforward supply-and-demand. 

The most sophisticated projects in web3 and crypto – often programmed in Rust and Solidity – are attracting “substantial capital backing,” as Thomas observes. That backing results in a demand for skilled programmers, “leading to attractive offers for top talent.” 

In essence, a mature market is putting demand-side pressure on the equation. Even a short-term rush of new engineers isn’t going to immediately impact the supply of the senior developers needed to produce the next round of high-level applications. 

Solana’s comeback

A rising tide lifts all boats. It’s no surprise that the crypto economy is on the rebound with Bitcoin in the lead. But it might be a little easier to miss some other major comebacks, such as Solana’s recent return:

And since Solana is primarily Rust-based, it’s easy to note the correlation between Solana’s rebound and the rise in Rust developer salaries.

On its own, that’s probably not enough to drive senior dev salaries higher; combined with broader market conditions and the overall demand, Solana’s performance has added to the competition for senior software engineers.

Why Golang Salaries are currently lower – And why they may rise

What about Golang?

Rust and Solidity senior devs are seeing higher salaries – but Golang senior engineers have slipped back a bit. 

That’s partly because Golang, unlike the others, is still largely a language of web2, not web3. Thus, there’s a larger pool of both senior and junior developers. Greater supply, not as much demand in the crypto and blockchain markets, equals slightly lower high-end rates. 

As Thomas states,

Golang’s slight salary plateau might be due to its widespread use in web2, resulting in a larger pool of developers and lower scarcity. Additionally, grassroots projects in ecosystems like COSMOS, with successful launches and migrations, are hiring more junior talent, influencing salary trends.

Is this the best Golang senior devs can hope for? Not exactly. Golang is steadily growing in the crypto space, and projects like COSMOS and Hyperledger Fabric certainly have room for growth. As those projects mature and expand their own ecosystems, they could push the demand for crypto-focused Golang senior devs higher.

Outlook: Positive on all fronts

We’re seeing new developer jobs for all three programming languages. Solidity and Rust are leading with the salary increase trend, but Golang continues to have steady job demand and developers with that language can command competitive salaries in the space as a whole. 

Solidity remains the most commonly used language for blockchain applications, particularly for Ethereum and Ethereum-compatible blockchains. Its usage is expected to grow with the continued expansion of the Ethereum ecosystem. Senior Solidity devs can tap into up to a decade of experience and a comparatively small pool of engineers to command salaries that are steadily growing.

Rust is gaining traction, especially for developing high-performance blockchain protocols and platforms like Polkadot and Solana. Its usage is also expected to grow as these platforms mature and new projects adopt Rust for its performance and safety benefits. Senior Rust developer salaries are following suit.

Golang continues to play a growing role in the web3 world, though it remains bigger in web2. It does have a role in various blockchain and crypto projects, particularly for building the underlying infrastructure and supporting tools. Its features make it a suitable choice for developing efficient, concurrent, and scalable blockchain systems. The broader pool of engineers and crossover between web2 and web3 projects means that – for now – senior Golang developers aren’t seeing the same salaries as Rust and Solidity devs. That could change, and quickly, as more Golang projects grow in the web3 space.

Are you a software engineer with experience in Solidity, Rust, or Golang? Interested to learn what opportunities are available for senior developers? Reach out to our recruitment team or view our job listings.

Bitcoin ETFs in January.

All-time highs for BTC in March.

The halving event.

Solana’s return.

A new memecoin frenzy.

We are so back.

And with the resurgence in the crypto economy, we’ve switched from an employer-driven market to a candidate-driven one.

For the first time in a couple of years, qualified candidates will likely have multiple job offers to choose from – if they want to.

Let’s dive into what a candidate-driven market means for employers and candidates.

More Crypto Jobs in More Sectors

For the first time in a while, crypto jobs are on the rebound. Startups, and startup investment money, is moving back into the space. Big exchanges, like Coinbase and Binance, are hiring. And even traditional financial institutions are looking to expand their crypto-centric teams, especially with the emergence of BTC ETFs to bridge the gap between crypto and tradfi.

In a nutshell, the market is back, with signs that a significant bull run might be looming. This has set the stage for a candidate-led jobs market, often tied to the bull market. In a bull market, there is considerably more VC investment, resulting in development teams moving aggressively to hit GTM deadlines set by their investors. Often they’ll have an ambitious roadmap, with pressure to scoop up the best talent they can find before their competitors get there first.

This results in candidates going off market much faster. Candidates will also carry higher salary expectations with multiple competitive offers, often including counter offers from current employers.

But we’re already seeing a problem; even while more and more positions open up, fewer high-end candidates are willing to make the transition to a new job.

Employee Stability, Memecoin Ability

One reason that employees stay put? The ongoing success of memecoins.

It’s easy to forget that most memecoins and altcoins are the work of particular projects. Those projects have dev teams, and those dev teams receive token packages. If those tokens go on a run – or if it looks like they could – those team members might not be willing to change jobs and risk missing out on a slowly-vesting but potentially lucrative token package.

And these days, memecoins are on a run. FLOKI is up 340% for the year; BONK has risen 3800% just since November 2023.

It certainly feels like new memecoins are going to the moon every day. Against that backdrop, why risk a good token package?

It’s not just memecoins, either. Many core tokens, from Solana to Ethereum, have risen significantly. That rising altcoin tide lifts the boats of many up-and-coming projects. If you’re an engineer or dev with a good token package and competitive pay, why risk what you have? As Shaun points out:

“At this point the best talent are being paid very well and have very good token allocations. A lot will not want to leave as over the next few months those tokens values will rise.”

Remember, in a candidate-driven market, experienced candidates will be flooded with opportunities on a daily basis. Any interest on their part will likely lead to receiving offers within a week or two of a first call, with a correspondingly big token allocation and a healthy base salary.

And even a generous package might not be enough to bring them onboard; they’ll likely have buddies with their own projects offering founding equity. Or their current project might be willing to counter-offer more money to keep them on, rather than having to go to market for a replacement.

To stay competitive for the best talent, companies need something more than a good compensation package.

Not sure how your token package compares? Check out our own snapshot on token benchmarking .

Compelling Narratives > Competitive Pay

What would entice a candidate to switch jobs now? The most likely answer is a company that combines competitive pay with a compelling narrative.

What’s in a compelling narrative? A good narrative raises and answers a number of questions:

• What is the project attempting to do?
• Is there a clear roadmap?
• Can the candidate see themselves growing alongside the company?

Companies that can craft a recruiting narrative that answers those questions positively for the candidate stand a far better chance of landing their dream team.

Top-tier candidates can already afford to be picky, and that situation is only going to get worse for employers: Zeth points out that:

“April represented the end of the last quarter of value…This is the start of the talent squeeze so realistically it is only going to become more expensive to hire.”

Action Points

What does a candidate-led market mean for you? Here’s some actionable takeaways for both candidates and employers.

Candidates

• Don’t jump at the first new opportunity; there will be more!
• Look at the details beyond the pay package
• Consider how your professional growth and the company’s growth align

These points apply alike to experienced Web3 professionals and to candidates jumping from Web2 to Web3 for the first time. If you’re in the latter category, check out our guide to the perfect Web3 CV.

Employers

• Pitch the opportunity, not just the job
• Show a clear progression path for candidates
• Highlight chances for growth, upskilling, and earning potential
• Emphasise company culture
• Steamline interview processes to finish within 2-3 weeks
• Avoid long take-home assignments or 6-stage interviews

Candidate-driven markets are, by definition, major opportunities for both candidates and employers. If you’re seeking to add top-tier talent to position your project to take advantage of the bull market, contact the team at Plexus today!

In an industry that thrives on innovation and precision, the presence of fake developers is akin to finding a glitch in a meticulously coded program. Imagine hiring what seems to be a skilled developer, only to discover their expertise is as authentic as a photoshopped image on a resume.

Sadly, we’ve seen this very scenario before; up to 10% of the applications we receive are from fake devs. And when we posted something about it on LinkedIn recently following the Munchables hack, the responses quickly let us know that lots of others have also.

The consequences of fake devs? Delayed projects, squandered resources, and a tarnished reputation. 

Let’s dig a little deeper into fake devs, explore their implications, and discuss strategies to mitigate the risks – for real devs and the companies who want to hire them.

What is a “Fake Dev”?

A ‘Fake Dev’ is simply a person (or persons) acting under an assumed identity or fraudulent LinkedIn profile to secure jobs within the tech and blockchain space.

These people are essentially scammers: you think you’re hiring John Smith, Rust developer from a top-20 DeFi protocol, when the actual truth is much more sinister. 

Typically the fake dev (or fake devs) run this scheme on 100s or even 1000s of job applications per month. They secure multiple development contracts or permanent positions, deliver average or sub-par work, and aim to collect at least a month’s wages before being spotted and promptly fired.

It sounds fantastical – but imagine you did this and secured 5/100 positions per month. That’s 5 monthly salaries on a 5% return. And these aren’t cheap salaries, either – many are asking for salaries in the 10k per month range. Potentially, a fake dev could make upwards of 50k per month – not bad for a few weeks work!

Making the scam even worse, often these false actors run in ‘Dev Shops’ – sites with 10 or more developers in a room. Some will be working on projects they’ve already been hired for, some are scouting for hiring managers/recruiters to dupe; all in the same room, at the same time! 

In fact, the dev you chat to may not even be the dev who ends up working on your project. Dev shops also tend to work in a syndicate controlled by a centralised, higher power..

Why Do Fake Developers Exist?

There can be a myriad of reasons why people choose to operate in this fashion. From a relatively innocent just-trying-to-get-by to the more sinister options – we regularly hear stories of protocols and companies hiring what they think are legitimate developers but who are actually criminals, opening them up to various hacks and exploits.

The tech industry’s insatiable appetite for talent has inadvertently fueled this dilemma. With high stakes and even higher rewards, there are at least three potential motivations for fake developers:

• Increased wages: The mildest form of the fake dev is the applicant who invents positions in his previous work experience. It’s easy enough to add “Senior Developer at Startup X” to your resume, and invent a few connections to support your claim.
• Wage fraud: A more extreme form of fake dev is the applicant who fabricates all or part of a resume and then works multiple jobs, often at the same time, claiming any initial wages while doing very little work.
• Scams: Fake devs stealing wages is its own type of scam, but there’s also the potential for malicious actors to creep into a company as a fake dev. In the worst-case scenario, these fake devs can create backdoors or learn weaknesses that they can exploit later. 

What are the implications for the hiring team?

Whilst it may seem like a minor inconvenience at first – okay, we hired someone who wasn’t who we thought they were, but if they do the work, what does it matter? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Hiring a false actor can have severe ramifications for companies trying to run legitimate businesses.

If you hire someone you believe to be working in America, for example, but later find out they are based in China – this can cause issues and illegitimacy around taxes and financial reports that the company publishes. It also impacts how they pay their employees, as well as issues involving interactions with counterparties based in countries that are sanctioned (Russia, North Korea, Iran) which is obviously illegal.

More so, it’s not ideal to be duped into hiring a team of average-level developers when you were looking for one superstar. More often than not, despite completing some work remotely, these false actors are unlikely to show up to meetings, stand-ups, respond to emails, engage with other team members or contribute to the project in any way other than basic code. This does nothing to contribute to the success of the project itself and can create more problems than it solves.

To sum it all up:

• Project Failures: Fake developers can lead to critical errors and delays, jeopardizing entire projects.
• Financial Losses: The cost of hiring, training, and then rectifying the mistakes of fake developers can be astronomical, especially for startups and smaller companies.
• Distrust and Demoralisation: Often, genuine team members end up shouldering more of the burden in the wake of a fake dev’s hiring (or firing), damaging team cohesion.
• Operational and Reputational Damage: Being caught with fake devs is bad enough; being the target of a scam is even worse. The recent Munchables hack resulted in losses of roughly $63 million from a similar scam.

Identifying Fake Developers

So how do you spot a fake developer? In short, learn to look for warning signs, and then take the time to verify candidates. These are all preliminary steps, long before we get to the point of matching candidates to particular jobs. 

At Plexus, we tend to notice the same warning signs with fake devs: 

• Generated background on video calls that conceals actual location
• Poor communication skills combined with bad connectivity issues; as one recruiter states,

“I always make sure to get developers on a face-to-face Zoom or Google Meets interview. If they have their face super close to the camera and have a background filter to hide others, they’re likely fake and probably working in a Dev shop somewhere.”

• Lack of awareness or knowledge about the location they claim to be from (e.g – a fake claiming to be from Stockholm being unfamiliar with the Royal Palace, or someone claiming to be in New York having no idea what Times Square is)
• Generic email address/usernames (e.g CryptoDev267)
• Insistence on freelance agreement, even if the hiring company is directly based in the same country as they claim they live in
• Incessant background noise (typically typing/talking from other devs in the room)
• Unknown or genuinely fake projects listed on CV that lead to dead links
• Inability to explain in detail what technologies they have worked with beyond some simple googling
• Asking for a standard salary; for some reason, fake devs always seem to want $10k per month  

Verification Steps

At Plexus, the verification process involves a number of steps

• Audio and visual checks
• Verification through our network
• Deep dives into technical platforms and social media
• Social verification 

We verify candidates the old-fashioned way first – talking to them by video and getting “eyes-on” to make sure that there’s a living, breathing person behind the PDF resume that popped into our inbox. 

After that, years of working in the space has given us numerous contacts all over the globe who we can talk to and ask questions. Do they know the candidate? Is there someone in our network who worked at one of the previous locations the dev listed in their resume? These are great ways to weed out fake devs.

Github, Telegram channels, Discord – following up on candidates’ work on those platforms can be a quick way to verify quality developers with a lengthy history in the space. There’s also a basic level of social verification that works, assessing a dev’s social and cultural background, social media profiles, and more.

Avoiding the Fake Developer Label

What about employees?

If you’re just starting out in the space, you might be concerned that you could accidentally look like a fake dev. You’re probably worried for nothing – true fake devs are in a category of their own.

But to avoid any confusion, here’s some steps to follow, per our own Lauryn Ifill, a delivery consultant here at Plexus:

1. Keep your CV clear and concise
2. Links to any projects you’ve worked on (dead links are always a red flag, especially in crypto where fake dead projects can be spoofed easily)
3. Github access (the more contributions the better)
4. Updated LinkedIn profile with active use
5. Interactions with people in the space – Crypto is a who’s-who most of the time, chances are if you interact with people in projects/communities you enjoy, people will recognise you as a contributing figure

Legal and Ethical Considerations

While embellishing skills might seem like a grey area, crossing into outright deception for personal gain veers into unethical and potentially legal territory. Companies must also reflect on their hiring practices to ensure they are not inadvertently encouraging this behaviour.

Developing Authenticity

There’s a persistent problem with bad actors in the crypto and web3 spaces, and fake devs are just one aspect of that problem. Fortunately, fake devs can be detected easily with appropriate due diligence. Plexus makes that due diligence part of our overall recruitment process, and we know what to look out for. That can be harder for smaller startups or new projects that don’t have extensive connections or resources. 

At Plexus, we are committed to in-depth screening of candidates we interact with in our network. All of our consultants are educated on what red flags to look out for when dealing with technical candidates across the globe, and generally, we’re pretty good at spotting a fraud.

It’s always a benefit to work with a trusted and legitimate talent or staffing partner or organisation who will easily spot and identify false actors before their CV makes it to your inbox. Without a recruitment partner, the responsibility to vet and screen these candidates falls on hiring teams, who may not be as accustomed to spotting fakes – especially whilst working to fill roles quickly. 

By implementing rigorous hiring practices and nurturing a culture of honesty, companies can protect their projects, people, and reputation, ensuring that the only thing fake in their environment is the placeholder data in their test databases.

If you’d like to avoid any confusion around hiring, drop us an enquiry and let us do the rest!