$PI Fan Chengdiao and Nicholas

1. Encounter: Stanford's "Technology + Humanity" Combination

Fan Chengdiao was born in Anshun, Guizhou, studied undergraduate at Minzu University of China, then went to Stanford for a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing, focusing on: humans, society, trust, group behavior, and the relationship with technology.

Nicholas is of Greek descent, holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford, specializing in distributed systems, blockchain, and smart contracts. He researched similar smart contracts before Ethereum appeared and also taught a blockchain course CS359B at Stanford.

The two met, fell in love, and became a married couple at Stanford.
People around them say:

- Nicholas: a technical idealist, understands code, systems, and how to make technology stable.
- Fan Chengdiao: a human-centered designer, understands users, culture, and how to make technology appealing to ordinary people.

Their shared pain point:

"Blockchain is too energy-consuming, too elitist, too speculative; ordinary people simply can't get in."

2. Original Aspiration: Creating a "Blockchain Usable by Ordinary People" (2017–2018)

In 2017, Bitcoin exploded in popularity, but Nicholas saw:

- Mining machines roaring, electricity consumption shocking
- Only the wealthy and tech-savvy could play
- Ordinary people kept out

Fan Chengdiao proposed from an anthropological perspective:

"Why not replace expensive mining hardware with mobile phones + social trust?"

At Stanford cafes, labs, and late-night conversations, they gradually formed an idea:

- No mining hardware, mobile phone mining
- No energy-intensive computation, use social trust circles for consensus
- Not just for trading, but for inclusive, fair, and ordinary people's digital identities

In 2018, they officially decided to start a project named Pi Network (π), symbolizing "Pi: accessible to everyone, infinite, decentralized."

3. Starting Out: No Money, No People, Not Seen as Promising (2018–2019)

Early days were very tough:

- No big capital, relying on Stanford's StartX incubator and their savings
- Investors questioned: "Social mining? Violates the anonymous spirit of blockchain, won't grow big."
- Small team: the couple + 1–2 Stanford alumni, sketching models on shared office whiteboards

Fan Chengdiao was responsible for:

- Product design, user mechanisms, trust circles (trust mining)
- Turning anthropological theories into executable rules: prevent monopolies, prevent cheating, ensure fair distribution

Nicholas was responsible for:

- Underlying blockchain architecture, consensus algorithms, security
- Insisting on no backdoors, no pre-mining, no large team holdings

On March 14, 2019 (π Day), Pi Network officially launched with just a simple mobile app:

- Tap once a day to mine for free
- No data usage, no energy waste, no hardware needed

4. Explosion: From Zero to Tens of Millions of Users (2019–2021)

After launch, growth relied entirely on word of mouth:

- No advertising, no marketing expenses
- Viral spread from the US → China → Southeast Asia → Africa → Latin America, globally

Fan Chengdiao’s social design played a huge role:

- Invite friends, build trust, form security circles
- The more people use it, the safer the network, and the more stable the mining
- Turning "connections" into "network security," not recruiting people for quick gains

Nicholas withstood pressure:

- Refused short-term profit-driven partnerships
- Rejected capital control demands: "We want decentralization, not capital centralization."

By 2021, the global user base exceeded 30 million, covering over 200 countries, becoming one of the largest inclusive blockchain communities worldwide.

5. Holding Firm: The Tug-of-War Between Ideals and Reality (2021–2026)

After going viral, controversy and temptations arose:

Temptations:

- Many exchanges and capital looking to list: "Get listed, cash out, take a profit"
- The team could instantly become wealthy

Their choices:

- Firmly refuse to list, private placements, fundraising, pre-mining
- Insist: focus on building an ecosystem, decentralization, real-world applications before discussing value

Fan Chengdiao often says:

"We're not here to issue tokens; we're here to build an internet value layer that ordinary people can use."

Nicholas emphasizes:

"If blockchain is just a casino, it loses its meaning. What we want is technological democracy, digital fairness, and participation for everyone."

In recent years, they have been working on:

- KYC (identity verification)
- Wallets, browsers, DApp ecosystems
- Transition from closed mainnet to open network
- Governance decentralization, community autonomy

6. Today: A Long-term Vision of a Scholar Couple

By 2026:

- Pi has over 33 million global users
- Still not listed on mainstream exchanges
- The team insists on not exploiting users for quick gains, not hyping, and not promising to get rich
- The goal remains unchanged: a truly decentralized public chain owned by ordinary people

Their entrepreneurial story boils down to one sentence:

Two Stanford PhDs, abandoning the elite shortcut, choosing the hardest path — returning blockchain to ordinary people.