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2025-10-28-stripe-product-communications-crypto-cover-letter

Tuesday, October 28th, 2025

Dear Stripe Hiring Team,

My name is Gary Sheng. I'm a software engineer, writer, and movement builder who has spent years making technically sophisticated tech concepts (including crypto concepts) accessible, memorable, and exciting to the people who need to understand them.

I'm applying for the Product Communications role focused on crypto and emerging payments because I deeply believe stablecoins and crypto-as-commerce (not crypto-as-speculation) represent one of the most important shifts in how the global economy can function. And I have a proven track record of turning niche crypto concepts into movements.

Why I'm the Right Fit​

I Turn Technical Crypto Concepts into Cultural Movements​

I make complex technical things simple and epic. I've done this repeatedly across different domains of web3:

  • Regen Web3: Took a pretty insignificant niche within crypto and made it interesting to thousands of people. Secured grants from Ethereum Foundation, Coinbase, and Celo to train youth in this concept, by communicating the vision clearly enough to get buy-in.
  • Sybil defense and digital identity: Made Gitcoin Passport's approach to Sybil resistance compelling enough to grow the user base from 200k to 1M users. Turned a highly technical identity problem into something people actually wanted to engage with.
  • Pop-up cities: Contributed to Zuzalu. Lead organizer for Edge City Denver 2024, a seven-day developer event alongside ETHDenver that drew 3,000+ attendees. Average satisfaction: 4.6/5. I designed the programming, recruited speakers, and built the buzz through consistent, compelling communication that made the concept feel inevitable.

The pattern is clear: I find technically sophisticated crypto concepts that matter, figure out how to make them resonate, and surgically raise awareness among exactly the right audiences.

I'm Deeply Immersed in Independent Media and Crypto Culture​

I'm well-connected to the zeitgeist of tech and crypto. I follow and know many Substackers, podcasters, video makers, and X influencers shaping these conversations. I understand the culture, the discourse, and where things are heading next. Through my own Substack, I have combined what I find online with original thinking to create compelling stories and new insights about the future of tech. That's what Stripe needs for its crypto communications.

I Have Technical Credibility​

I started my career as a Software Engineer at Google Cloud from 2015 to 2019. I recently graduated top of my class from Gauntlet AI's coding bootcamp. I understand how developers think, and can translate that technical sophistication into writing that's interesting, memorable, and shareable.

I Provide Strategic Counsel, Not Just Comms Execution​

I've advised executives at the highest levels, including for the White House faith office and the Catholic Church in Rome. I know how to work shoulder to shoulder with senior leaders to provide strategic counsel far beyond traditional communications. I think entrepreneurially about maximizing chances of success, avoiding pitfalls, and reaching the right audiences.

My Commitment​

Stripe's mission to increase the GDP of the internet is one of the most important missions in tech. The Bridge acquisition signals that Stripe understands crypto's true potential as economic infrastructure for advancing that mission.

I want to make stablecoins and crypto-as-commerce feel as inevitable as they should be. I want to work with Stripe's and Bridge's teams to build awareness among exactly the right audiences and create the cultural conditions for crypto payments to become mainstream.

I'd love to discuss how my track record of memeing crypto concepts into movements, my deep immersion in tech culture and independent media, and my ability to make technically sophisticated topics interesting and memorable can help Stripe lead the next phase of global money movement.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best regards,

Gary Sheng