Rob from Digital Asset News interviews crypto educator Randy Hilpert about Bitcoin adoption, global conferences, and market outlook
Rob from Digital Asset News interviews Randy Hilpert (Miss Teen Crypto) about her experience at Bitcoin Asia in Hong Kong, her journey as a young crypto educator, and her outlook on Bitcoin's next market cycle.
Summary
Rob interviews Randy Hilpert, who runs the Miss Teen Crypto brand and has been creating crypto education content since age 17. Randy describes her experience speaking at Bitcoin Asia in Hong Kong, where she found unexpectedly high enthusiasm for Bitcoin and blockchain education among the local community. She reflects on her own journey — being bullied in high school for trying to give away Bitcoin at $7,000, eventually getting on Fox Business at 18, and building a multi-year plan to bring crypto education to underserved demographics including women and Gen Z. She also shares her view that the Clarity Act and stablecoin legislation are being deliberately timed around bank readiness rather than public interest, and that a major Bitcoin run is building.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Bitcoin Asia: The vibe in Hong Kong
Rob: Every time I go to these conferences, it's interesting to see the litmus test — what is the temperature of the room. I know there are some I've gone to and I'm like, "Oh, this is definitely a bear market," and then some I've gone to and I'm like, "Oh, this is definitely a bull market." What was it like in Hong Kong when you went there? What did you feel? What was the vibe?
Randy: I felt good vibes. A lot of people were just very excited. The Hong Kong Chinese community — they were gung-ho about crypto. I honestly did not know what to expect going there because Hong Kong is basically China. We can say it's a different territory, but it's basically China. I felt like a lot of people were very eager to learn. When I did my Bitcoin for Beginners class, I wasn't sure who was going to show. I didn't know what the education level of people was. But we packed the house, Rob. The Q&A went so long that we were 15 minutes overtime, and there were just people surrounding me using translators to ask me questions. It was craziness. The next speaker came over to me and said, "Randy, we need this area." And I was like, "Oh, I'm overtime?" They said, "Yeah, by 15 minutes." I was like, "Why didn't you kick me out?" But yeah, I had to shift everyone towards another area to keep answering questions.
People were very eager to learn. They want to know what Bitcoin is, the basics — what is blockchain, what is in a block on the blockchain, why does this matter, how are bitcoins created, hot versus cold wallets, what does that mean, what are your first steps. Start to finish — seven steps: how to buy Bitcoin, set up your wallet, and send your Bitcoin from the exchange to your wallet. It went really well. People were very happy. Bitcoin Asia is a smaller conference than what we're used to with the US conferences, but with the amount of people that were there, the enthusiasm was crazy. People were very happy to be involved. The Chinese were gung-ho on crypto and I was all there for it.
Especially because they're dealing with the Hong Kong dollar, they have their own CBDC in Hong Kong, and they also have the digital yuan. I think a lot of people in Hong Kong specifically — because they have democracy until 2049 or something like that — feel the time crunch. They know that if they're going to have some sort of freedom, they probably need Bitcoin in their revolution. Bitcoin's role in the economy is one thing, but the role in geopolitics is going to be a whole different thing, and I'm very excited to see how that unfolds. I did not have that on my bingo card — that they would be that enthusiastic about Bitcoin and blockchain and everything else.
Randy: Through the roof?
Randy: Through the roof. I was thoroughly surprised. I was like, "All right, let's just feel it out." But the Bitcoin for Beginners thing — I didn't know if it was going to be a hit or not, because they're smart people over there in Hong Kong and China. Very smart people. But they needed that ground-level education as well. It was just fantastic. Loved it.
WeChat, CBDCs, and financial freedom
Rob: The thing is, they have this super app WeChat, and WeChat over there is the big thing. We don't really have a super app, but imagine an app where you can order an Uber, order a pizza, delivery of goods and services, the banks are on there, you can rent a hotel, you can actually buy a house — all convoluted into one major huge app. And then you mentioned the CBDC, Randy. When they were talking to you using translators, were they kind of like, "Yeah, we'd like to get away from this CBDC — don't tell anybody, I don't want to get disappeared"?
Randy: I honestly didn't hear much of that. I think they were just low-key. I don't think they were trying to speak out against the government and what was going on, but they were definitely freedom-forward with Bitcoin. I was on a panel on day one, and then two sessions later CZ was on the same stage. CZ basically went after Bitcoin maximalism, which I thought was great, and then he was basically saying there are weak governments but we don't need weak money. I think especially because he's kind of from that area — I know technically he's Canadian — but what he was saying really resonated with people and they were cheering him on like no other.
People are definitely leaning towards that freedom mark. I was speaking to another guy that grew up in Hong Kong and he was saying that even in 2019 they were revolting against the Chinese government because they're not in favor of the CCP — which is obvious. But again, some people really like to be told what to do and what to think. Sometimes they pick the easier route because of that kind of NPC mindset. But people in Hong Kong — they're ready for Bitcoin. I hope they have more accessibility, because I was trying to look up where I could go and spend Bitcoin. I always love being able to bring cryptocurrency to wherever I'm at, and I couldn't find one place. But I did have my Uphold XRP debit card that I've been using — you can spend crypto through that debit card and earn XRP back. I was experimenting with it over in Hong Kong and it worked. I used it in Europe and it worked. So there are obviously other ways, but I was hoping to spend via the Lightning Network or something like that.
Rob: The government will put up roadblocks, but there's always a way to move things. You can use crypto, you can use digital assets. It is interesting that there's so much enthusiasm about it but you can't really use it yet — but then again, use a card, circumvent that, use the crypto, and it makes a lot of sense.
Randy's background: From Miss Teen Crypto to Fox Business
Rob: Hey Randy, this is you at a high school class. You've also been on Fox News multiple times and it seems like you are non-stop. How did you get into that? How did you get to that role?
Randy: With Fox, or just wanting to educate everybody?
Rob: Both.
Randy: When I initially created Miss Teen Crypto, I was 17, Rob. I'm almost 24 — in February I'm going to be 24. Can you believe that?
Rob: It goes fast.
Randy: When I first created Miss Teen Crypto, I was kind of mind-blown that there was no Gen Z in this space. There was no other teenager — still to this day, there are no other teenagers really creating content in crypto. I'm probably one of the youngest creating content here and the longest-standing, I think. So I was basically like, "Why don't I go and educate people?"
Initially I was going to go to college. I was going to be a psych major. Before I left high school, I was taking two years of college math, two years of college English, college science, college psych for two years — got college credits for all of it. That's really where I thought I was going. And then I found crypto and I said to myself, well, no college is going to teach me crypto. So why don't I go to colleges and schools and teach people about crypto instead? That's kind of what I started doing.
That high school you put up there — that was my former high school. When I was there starting Miss Teen Crypto as a junior, I literally had my guidance counselor come up to me. He's the man that got me through high school. He came up to me one day and said, "Randy, are you okay?" I said, "Yeah, why?" He said, "Because everyone's talking about you — teachers, students, everybody. I just want to make sure you're okay." I said, "Yeah, they just don't get it." He said, "Yes, you're right. Nobody understands. But I believe in you." He was the only person that said that to me at the time. The principal called me crazy. And then about a year later, they invited me back to teach. I've been going back almost every year since then. That principal is out and there's a new one in, but they keep inviting me. Every time I go back, people are like, "Wow, this Bitcoin thing is really working, huh?"
When I was telling people about crypto at 17, I was a junior and Bitcoin was $7,000. I was doing videos with people in my class, sending them Bitcoin at $7,000. I was begging people in school — "Please let me give you Bitcoin. Let me give you money." No one wanted to take it because everyone bullied me. They thought I was crazy. So I said, you know what, if they're going to think I'm crazy, let them think I'm absolutely psychotic. That's why I really doubled down on crypto.
Even when I first got online, people thought I wasn't real, which I thought was really funny. So I was like, why don't I just keep pushing videos and see what people come up with. I really wanted to take adoption into my own hands. I created Miss Teen Crypto April 2020. By October and November of 2020, I was living in Brooklyn, took the train to Manhattan with my sister. We started interviewing people, asking them if they knew about Bitcoin. This was the midst of COVID and people were mad at me for not social distancing, but whatever. It was a big debacle, but I just wanted to take adoption into my own hands and started making videos, going on the streets.
Then I started harassing Charles Payne from Fox Business — I kept DMing him and commenting until he finally answered me. By 18 years old, he put me on Fox Business. It's been over five years since I've been participating with that network. It just kept going from there. Conferences were calling me — "Hey, come do this workshop, do that workshop." I actually ditched my high school graduation to go teach an NFT workshop in Miami. I've sacrificed everything for crypto because I fully believe in the revolution.
Now it's just escalating to a point where Bitcoin conferences are like, "Hey, we really need that education — come to Asia." Hopefully I can do some stuff in Nashville, that's TBD. I'm working so hard, and a lot of the things I do are multi-year plays. I'll reveal my plans once they come to fruit. A lot of what I'm doing has been a multi-year plan, a multi-year stretch. I know a lot of people are not okay with that — if they don't see results right away, they quit. But everything comes in due time. It's divine timing. I really believe in God's plan.
I say this to people a lot: there's no reason I should be here. I don't have a college degree in finance, in business, in social media, or in broadcast journalism. I don't have a degree in any of this. But I really wanted to prove that even if you can't afford college, if you keep pushing and follow your dreams, the American dream is still real. I'm going into year seven and I'm hoping by year ten a lot of my things come to fruit and blossom.
Reaching Gen Z and women: Barriers to crypto adoption
Rob: What do you see when you're talking to your peer group — not just Hong Kong, but everywhere? What is the biggest pushback you get, or is it just a bunch of questions? Because when I grew up, investing wasn't a thing. We grew up very poor. We didn't really understand that. But as time has gone on, I'm like, wouldn't it be great if someone would have told me about the S&P 500, about dollar cost averaging, about the long-term effects? What do you get back?
Randy: Honestly, a lot of people in Gen Z are already on Robinhood and they're already on these apps. The accessibility is there, so the mindset is a little bit different. I don't think there's much pushback other than they just don't understand fundamentally what it is. They think, "I can't afford $80,000 — what do you mean? I can't buy that." And I'm like, it's a currency exchange. 100 cents is to a dollar. You don't have to own a whole dollar. If you go to the airport and do the currency conversion, you're not looking at charts — you're like, "Here's my hundred US, give me the equivalent in euros, Hong Kong dollars, whatever." And then that's what clicks for them. We just need that basic education to overcome these narratives that it's too expensive.
But I think the only kind of pushback I get now is from women. I do my solo dates and I film food vlogs connected to crypto. I was sitting one night eating sushi at the sushi bar, just recording myself as I do. These girls came up to me and said, "What do you do?" I started telling them I do food stuff mixed with crypto and lifestyle. They said, "What do you mean Bitcoin?" I said, "Yeah, do you know about Bitcoin?" They said, "Well, it's always mansplained to me. I hear this guy's into it and that guy's into it, but I don't ever hear about women getting into it. And when a man tries to explain it to me, I just don't get it." They said it essentially goes over their head. And then when I explain it to them, they're like, "Oh wait, this actually makes sense."
I think it's just the way men operate in their brain — a little more logical, to the point — whereas women are a little more storytelling, breaking things down in a different way. There's just a difference between men and women in how we explain things. Mansplaining has been the biggest obstacle to getting women into finance, because typically you think of the trades on Wall Street with suits and cashmere sweaters — you don't think about how fun Bitcoin and crypto actually is.
I even said this on Fox Business at 18: why don't people go and have fun? Go and transact. Open a QR code with your friend, open some wallets, send money back and forth, mint an NFT, put art on the blockchain. You'll see how easy it is. And just gamify the experience.
People are starting to use crypto without knowing it's crypto. Like Polymarket — a lot of Gen Z are on Polymarket. They don't know that's based on blockchain, but it's easy enough to use and understand. Hey, I pay money, do a poll, win a poll, get money. And I think that's just kind of where we're headed. People are going to say, "I don't even carry cash in my pocket. Pennies don't exist anymore. I might as well just do something with crypto because at least it's money that belongs to me. It's digitally native."
All my friends are using AI every single day for everything — whether they're nurses studying for a test or doing finance or insurance. They're using AI across all these sectors. And obviously, what is going to pay AI, or what is AI going to use to pay for things? Crypto. So we're absorbing the world's wealth.
Even the whole notion of just a nine-to-five stock market — now you can do stocks 24/7 with tokenization. The NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange in January of this year — nobody paid attention — but they were basically saying, "Hey guys, just so you know, we're going to be doing this stuff on blockchain." And then there's going to be a rush.
I think people are just going to have to see the next bull run. The crazy people like us that have been talking about these things for years — we're finally going to be right. They're going to be like, "Oh my god." I think the next run is really going to be it. Something about it just tells me we're gearing up for something big. I've been feeling this for the past year. Something has just been really pressing on my heart. Even though a lot of people were down in the trenches — we had all these shenanigans that I believe were coordinated — I really do believe we're building up to something absolutely massive and people just really aren't ready for it. But I am, and I'm ready to bring that education to them when it comes time. Everyone that stuck around — you will win.
Bitcoin's next cycle and the stablecoin legislation play
Rob: The theme today that I've asked everybody is the cycles, the four-year cycles. Where is Bitcoin going? In the long term I think we're going to hit it and do great. But this next quarter coming up — you've talked to a lot of people, you've seen a lot of sentiment, you've been on a lot of shows. When you think about Q4, what do you see?
Randy: I think it's either going to be a massive run or it's just going to be chill. We've got midterms coming up. We've got clarity legislation. It really depends on the banks — and hear me out here. The Clarity Act was just smoke and mirrors. What banker is going to pay Elizabeth Warren to yap? The reason they were doing that is — I actually explained this on my show yesterday with an article to back it up — all these 21 global banks, notice the number 21, between the US and Europe are suddenly going to team up on stablecoins. Well, what were the bankers paying Elizabeth Warren to complain about stablecoins for? It was because they were cooking. They weren't ready to put the meal out on the counter. So they were like, "Hey Elizabeth Warren, just yap and screw it all up for a little bit. Postpone this and let us cook."
The banks in the US were saying, "No stablecoins — we're not ready. You're not allowed to have yield because we don't give you yield. So why should you get yield from somewhere else?" And then in Europe, the banks were saying — and Christine Lagarde from the ECB was like, "Oh my gosh, you guys can't have stablecoins. Stablecoins are bad, especially US-denominated ones. But the euro — we need the digital euro, the CBDC, not a stablecoin." And then what happened in that same article? They're saying there's going to be euro-denominated stablecoins in tandem with US dollar-denominated stablecoins. So the banks at the end of the year are going to roll this thing out, and then the Clarity Act will pass because the banks are ready to pass it.
That's why I tell everyone: do not bet your price action, your portfolio, nothing on what the Clarity Act is doing, because they don't care about you. It's all theater. Gary Gensler, Operation Chokepoint 2.0 — it was scripted to hold back crypto again until the banks were ready for the GENIUS Act. And then once they had the GENIUS Act, they're like, "Wait, hold on. We have clarity, but we're not ready for clarity. Let's just tell them what we're going to do and then actually do it later on."
Rob: Never when people expect it. Same with the Bitcoin Reserve.
Randy: Never when people expect it.