Cofounder, Terraform Labs
Search every verified Do Kwon interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Do Kwon, cofounder of Terraform Labs, pleaded not guilty in a Montenegro court in September 2023 to charges of using forged passports from Belgium and Costa Rica, according to Bloomberg News. His defense lawyer proposed releasing him on bail of 400,000 euros, but the prosecutor objected, arguing Kwon and former CFO Han Chang-jun had financial means and no interest in remaining in Montenegro. Kwon had been arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 after South Korea issued an arrest warrant for him in September 2022. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Terraform Labs and Kwon in February 2023 with defrauding investors, alleging they promoted their crypto by claiming the tokens would increase in value and that Kwon secretly arranged for a third party to purchase massive amounts of TerraUSD (UST) to restore its dollar peg in May 2021, while publicly touting the restoration as a triumph of decentralization. In interviews following the collapse of the Terra ecosystem, Kwon has characterized the event as a "massive market failure" rather than fraud, stating that he believed in the stability of UST and that his statements led users without the tools to understand the complex economic mechanisms to gain confidence in a system that ultimately failed. He has said he went into a "state of shock" when the collapse began and that he tried to help community members find jobs and funding. Kwon has maintained that the Luna Foundation Guard only held 313 Bitcoin and has denied allegations of being on the run, though he has not disclosed his location. He has stated he plans to continue building in crypto, saying, "I am but 31, and I would still love to contribute."
“I think one of the proudest things while working on Terra is having converted a lot of people to work in web3. There were many casual investors in the Terra ecosystem who then made the jump to leave their web2 jobs and build in web3.”
“When the Terra ecosystem collapsed, it wasn't just my success or failure anymore; it was everyone who quit their web2 jobs to build web3 that weighed heavily on me.”
“The amount of loss that emanated from Terra's failure is incredibly high. When it first started to happen, I went into a state of shock, but then I tried to be as helpful as possible to people needing jobs, intros, or funding.”
“If it was failure versus fraud, you just leave it alone. The fact that I made those calls shows I care. I'm still trying to figure out what really happened amid all the allegations.”
“In crypto, success is often measured by 'number go up'—price going up, more people talking about the project, and more building on it. But if the goal becomes community growth rather than just price, it changes how I look at success.”
“Stress happens when you're trying to strategize about your ideals not being in line with your reality. Even if your goal is to make a lot of money, if that number is always trying to be as high as possible, you'll never reach that ideal and it becomes stressful.”
“For talent with experience in the Terra ecosystem, it was valuable because it helped those people find places where they don't have to leave web3 to feed their families, especially after the collapse.”
“When your goals become more nuanced than just making money or shareholder returns, the types of decisions you need to make become more complex and there's a lot more to think about.”
“Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon pleaded not guilty to allegedly using false passports from Belgium and Costa Rica on Thursday in a Montenegro Court according to Bloomberg News.”
“The collapse of TerraUSD had been the largest algorithmic stablecoin before it crashed almost a year ago causing billions of dollars to be wiped.”
“The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Terraform Labs and Do Kwon in February for defrauding investors.”
“The SEC said Do Kwon and Terraform Labs promoted their crypto by repeatedly claiming that the tokens would increase in value.”
“When TerraUSD was returned to a dollar value, Do Kwon and the company publicly and repeatedly touted the restoration of the one dollar USD peg as a triumph of decentralization, while omitting the real reason the peg was restored through a third party, the SEC said.”
“Oh yes, I, I, I am sorry. I think — and it could seem, you know, with the way that we've been responding to allegations and news reports and things like that that we're being defensive or something like that — but that is absolutely not the case. I believed in the stability of UST and I do understand that my beliefs an...”
“It wasn't a scam, like it wasn't a fraud — it was a massive market failure.”
Before our interview with Terra Founder Do Kwon, there was an interview with Do Kwon. In revisiting new, never-before-seen ...
Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon pleaded not guilty to allegedly using false passports from Belgium and Costa Rica on ...
Join #Consensus2023, the most important conversation in crypto and Web3, happening April 26-28 in Austin, Texas. Tickets on ...
Do Kwon, cofounder of Terraform Labs, discusses the charges against him, gives a message to Terra victims, answers allegations ...
Join #Consensus2023, the most important conversation in crypto and Web3, happening April 26-28 in Austin, Texas. Tickets on ...
Do Kwon of Terra: 'It Was Never Really About Money or Fame or Success' - Ep. 408 Do Kwon, cofounder of Terraform Labs, ...
In this exclusive interview with Do Kwon, Founder & CEO of Terraform Labs, will most likely discuss his recent legal issues and ...
Terra founder Do Kwon discusses the future of LUNA 2.0, his role in the failed stablecoin Basis Cash, and why he doesn't dwell ...What kind of standing is Do Kwon, TerraForm Labs sitting on now to, as you say, come up again from the ashes? Do Kwon: So in ...
Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon finally breaks his silence after the $60B implosion of the Terra ecosystem that shook the crypto ...
For the first time since the crash of his empire three months ago, Do Kwon, the founder of Terraform Labs and creator of the Terra ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Do Kwon.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →