As someone that ‘values experience above all rather than being competitive,’ Lili Zhao got into the blockchain space ‘by accident and out of curiosity’ in 2017. Zurich-based Lili is the Director of Neo Global Development, the operational arm of leading blockchain platform Neo, an open-source, community-driven blockchain platform.
She explains Neo enables developers and dApps builders to ‘build decentralized applications, as well as digitize and automate the management of assets through smart contracts.’ It also provides powerful native infrastructures such as multiple-language support, advanced interoperability, centralized storage, oracles, and domain name service, to create a solid foundation for the Next-Gen internet. Soft-spoken with an engaging smile, Lili explains that Neo’s mission is to ‘be an open network for Smart Economy (web3),’ and ‘make any asset, digital or physical, accessible by human beings and programs with minimized trust and permission.’
Holding a BSc in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London and an MBA from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), she quipped in a recent interview − for an article in Bitcoin news platform Cointelegraph − that ‘economics interests me much more now than when I was studying it at university.’
With a charmingly cheerful approach that ‘life is a game, so let’s play,’ Lili says she’s never afraid of falling because she ‘always bounces back.’
Having previously held managerial positions in banking, executive education and media, Lili describes her current job as ‘growing the ecosystem of the Neo blockchain by profession and passion.’
In the recent Cointelegraph article, Lili says ‘one of the main appeals of the blockchain ecosystem is its community-driven spirit instead of being about personal glorification.’
However, she remarks while everything can be tokenized on the blockchain, that’s the easy part. “The hard part is to have the regulatory framework and ecosystem to enable the value transfer of the tokenized assets.”
Clearly passionate about her profession, Lili enthuses, “the more you’re into blockchain, the more endless the possibility and the learning curve becomes.”
The Metaverse is ‘a virtual world for human interactions and value exchanges, powered by XR and blockchain technology.’ Describing it recently on YouTube as an ‘open-source playground where ownership lies in the users, not the centralized platform,’ Lili explains digital assets in the Metaverse are powered by open-source blockchain protocols such as Ethereum and Neo.
“These digital assets live on the blockchain independent of any proprietary platforms, so they can be freely traded across different playgrounds and marketplaces. Thus, digital asset ownership gives the power to players, and that levels the playing field between users and platforms.”
Lili remarks the key point in Metaverse opportunities is a ‘fundamental paradigm shift in the dynamics between platforms and users that will impact every industry.’
“Users will have ownership of their data and assets so they can be portable and transferred across different platforms.”
And how the Metaverse will impact our lives, it’ll include gaining ownership, providing unlimited possibilities, bridging the real and virtual worlds and enhancing the real world for the better. However, she’s concerned ‘the technology is still not yet user-friendly,’ adding ‘mass adoption will come when it becomes as easy to use as Google.’
As for web3 use cases beside metaverse”, Lili envisages ‘the rise of DAOs is inevitable, given that this technology is initiated and driven by the community.’ But in the smart economy of web3, − powered by the decentralized community driven technology − it ‘needs to best serve the community, be more social and less elite-centric.’
As a self-described spiritual person and existentialist, Lili shares three key qualities she values and uses to guide her in life; ‘freedom (to do what I love), authenticity (to be who I am) and growth (a dynamic process, evolving with new experiences).
With a witty persona − jokingly calling herself a ‘chaotic minimalist wannabe’ and despite being passionate about surfing, confessing she’s ‘actually pretty lousy at it’ − Lili believes ‘humor is always precious, whatever we do, and in whatever industry.’
Commenting on the current state of web2, she stated that the internet has changed our lives for the better, but it’s also worsened the divide between the rich and poor, thanks to power and profit being in the hands of a few centralized entities.
As for what the future holds, Lili remains enthusiastic about the blockchain technology and the development of the web3 ecosystem despite the industry challenges. Open-source platforms such as Ethereum and Neo will power the next generation of internet – one that drives progress from the bottom up with less sacrifice on equality.
LILI ZHAO’S METAVERSE & WEB3 TIPS
Website: neo.org
