TRON's 8th Anniversary: The Growth Journey from Doubt to Global Resonance

Source: TRON

In 2025, TRON, the TRON Foundation ushered in its eighth anniversary, a significant milestone. From the tiny spark in the first year of the public chain war in 2017, to now growing into the world's most active public chain platform, TRON has spent eight years tirelessly innovating and pursuing a steadfast vision, writing a legendary story from doubt to glory.

Looking back on these eight years, TRON has not only withstood the market's challenges and external scrutiny but has also solidified its position as a core infrastructure of the cryptocurrency industry through technological breakthroughs and ecosystem prosperity. Standing at the starting point of a new era, TRON continues to uphold its grand vision of "financial freedom for the 8 billion people," joining hands with the global community to march towards the vast ocean of the decentralized internet.

From the initial perception that "some people thought TRON would disappear," to the elderly Xinjiang farmer's exclamation of "TronLink faster than Alipay," TRON has become the most dazzling Chinese public chain platform in the global cryptocurrency industry.

In the Beginning, "Some People Thought TRON Would Disappear"

TRON was born right in the first year of the public chain war. At that time, the scalability and performance flaws of the Bitcoin network were gradually becoming apparent, and Ethereum had already become the king of the second-generation public chains. TRON seemed unremarkable, and even its aura did not shine like EOS under the blessings of the big players.

No one could have imagined that this tiny seed, sown by Justin Sun, could grow into a towering tree. The hardships and silent endurance, now largely forgotten, can still be glimpsed by early TRON users through bits of memories, revealing the hesitations and difficulties of that time.

Community member Kidding mouse-TRX energ shared a story that best represents the skepticism and cold reception TRON faced in its early days.

"When I first encountered TRON, it was just a fledgling project. Many shook their heads, saying it was just another bubble waiting to burst. Against all odds, I impulsively put 90% of my ETH and BTC into it. Not a single soul in the community didn't mock my foolishness, saying I had been blinded by a copycat scam."

"In the first year, TRON's price was as volatile as a rollercoaster. I experienced an 80% shrink in my assets, but also tasted the ecstasy of doubling overnight."

Having steadfastly stood by TRON for its growth over eight years, he marveled, "I am grateful to have been on this journey with TRON. There are many more eight years to come, and I am still willing to stand side by side, witnessing the vastness of the decentralized internet."

Community member Crypto CEO also witnessed TRON's birth on the cutting edge eight years ago.

"In 2017, during the first cryptocurrency wave, the blockchain world was filled with passion and fantasy. Many whitepapers were grandiose, always talking about 'revolutionizing the future' and 'changing the world.' TRON also entered the public eye at this time, with founder Justin Sun attracting a lot of attention in a short period thanks to his strong marketing skills. But the good times didn't last long. The official implementation of a refund system led to almost all projects coming to a halt, and many thought TRON would disappear as well."

In 2023, his unwavering belief and dedication to TRON paid off handsomely. "I earned my first bucket of gold in life—a seven-figure sum. And in the same year, I managed to achieve seven-figure returns three times in a row."

A TRON employee also recalled the scene when TRON was not well-regarded by the outside world.

"At that time, the online evaluation of TRON was not good, and many voices were biased, even mocking. Some said it was a hollow concept, some said it was excessive hype, and skepticism and criticism were everywhere. But I always believed that true voting is never done by mouth, but by actions."

Eight Years Together: "Is This Chain Faster Than Alipay?"

For TRON, 2019 was a pivotal year. Justin Sun facilitated a partnership with Tether, using the stablecoin as a starting point, embarking on a rapid growth journey. Today, TRON has grown into the most active public chain platform with a diverse blockchain ecosystem and payment services closely integrated into users' daily lives. With 3.3 billion global accounts, nearly 11.5 billion on-chain transactions, and 2.1 billion trillion in on-chain value transfers, it is the most critical infrastructure in the crypto industry.

In the memory of TRON community member Gu Jia, "the proudest moment was helping Xinjiang fruit farmers receive an order from Iran using USDT-TRC20," even the elders exclaimed, "Is this chain faster than Alipay?"

Community member Yao Long shared his "wealth password":

"After deep understanding, I bought TRON for the first time 23 years later, bought 300,000 coins, staked them for rent, and became a small renter on the TRON chain. Since then, I couldn't stop. It's satisfying to receive rent every day, and it's thrilling to receive rent every day. I continued to buy more until I reached a position I couldn't dare to think of."

An early TRON investor recounted the story of "8 years of perseverance, 7-fold return":

"In 2020, the 'Buffett Lunch' event brought Justin Sun into the limelight, and I gained a deeper understanding of TRC20 applications. I started to systematically invest in TRX, investing 5,000 yuan at the time, with an average purchase price of around 0.02 yuan. I then started using a dollar-cost averaging strategy, adding 50,000 to 100,000 yuan annually. In the end, this investment brought me approximately 7 times the return."

A TRON employee shared their "5-Year 15X Returns" wealth journey:

"I witnessed the TRON community grow from millions to billions of users, and saw narratives like DeFi, JustLend, NFTs evolve from inception to explosion. With each industry wave, my understanding of TRX's value has continued to deepen. Now, five years later, I have achieved a 15x return. More importantly, I have gained something more valuable than digits during this journey—a long-term mindset, a profound industry understanding, and the opportunity to grow alongside the company."

A Promising Future "For the Financial Freedom of 8 Billion People"

As the founder, Justin Sun sees TRON's eighth anniversary as the dawn of a new era. After announcing TRON as the infrastructure for global financial settlements, he reiterated that "TRON's goal has always been the same"—to achieve financial freedom for all 8 billion people worldwide.

Users from the TRON global community have been sending their blessings.

Japanese community member Hujimana: TRON "continuously sets new records";

South Korea's TokenPost CEO David Kim: TRON "has inspired the blockchain community with innovation and foresight over the past few years";

Thai community member jadenipat7: Wishes for TRON to "continue to develop and connect more people";

Kazakhstan community member crypto_rentier: "Glad to witness TRON's new stage together";

Turkey community member Alya: Proud to "be a part of this powerful community";

Mexico community member Emmanuel: "Honored to be part of this journey."

TRON community members from around the world have also shared their future expectations on social media platforms, representing the voices of users and developers in the TRON ecosystem:

"From a TRON enthusiast to now a 'Gravity Ambassador,' I have witnessed TRON's journey from a startup to a global leading public chain, each step filled with surprises. I believe TRON will continue to lead the Web3 era, allowing more people to enjoy the charm of financial freedom. TRON is not just an investment opportunity but also a welcoming community. In the future, I look forward to continuing this journey with TRON and writing more exciting chapters together!"