Who am I?

Life has a funny way of taking us on unexpected journeys. I am Antoine Ross, and my story is one of highs, lows, but ultimately of love and finding my true calling in this chaotic world.

I don't belong in crypto

Before I could legally drink in most countries, I found myself making a lot of money at 20. Some people would say it's just luck and I would agree to a certain extent.

I simply found myself in the right place at the right time.

I noticed that people were willing to pay a premium for unique Axies from a popular crypto game Axie Infinity, while the marketplace was flooded with cheaper Axies that had strong breeding potential. There was an opportunity to make a profit by buying unique Axies and selling them for a higher price.

I was also deeply involved in the competitive scene. I knew what was good and observed that there was a gap in knowledge between the competitive scene and the marketplace.

Strong axies would sell great, and you could make more of them by breeding cheaper axies. This is oversimplified but it's the core idea.

I was very good at statistics and I used that to my advantage. I bred many unique Axies and sold them for a profit. I used my understanding of the game's mechanics and trends to make informed decisions about which Axies to breed and sell.

I took a risk that I was extremely well positioned to take advantage of.

It was exhilarating but something felt off.

Leaving home and finding purpose

Around this time, I made a life-changing decision. My family's home, while filled with love, was triggering severe asthma and allergies. It was the pandemic and I was a very sickly person.

I was sick more often than not and it wasn't getting better. I had to move out.

It took me a month to get ready, I looked for a new place to live and it wasn't long until I got a new place to live in with the help of my mum.

For the first time in a long time, I felt free. Free from illness, free to breathe easy. But with this newfound freedom I finally had time to think about other things.

Purpose. Meaning. Fulfillment.

It's not really surprising that I didn't feel any of these things from web3. I was just going with the flow. I felt like a fraud in the crypto world. No matter how much money I made, I couldn't shake the feeling that I didn't belong.

Inevitably, what goes up must come down. Crypto prices crashed and I lost all the money I had made. It was a harsh lesson. I'm grateful for it but it was time for me to move on.

Learning about Machine Learning

During my lowest moments, I stumbled upon something that would change my life: machine learning. It started with Stable Diffusion. I was blown away by the fact that this incredible technology was open source and freely available on Hugging Face.

I dove headfirst into the world of ML. Andrew Ng's courses, Andrej Karpathy's lectures – I devoured it all. For the first time since my crypto days, I felt a spark of excitement.

But this was different. This wasn't just about money; it was about being part of something bigger, something meaningful.

I had found my community. The open-source ethos, the spirit of collaboration, the excitement of pushing technological boundaries – this was where I belonged.

Indiehacking is pretty cool

As ChatGPT burst onto the scene, I saw a world of possibilities. Inspired by indie hackers like @levelsio, I set my sights on building my own startups with the help of LLMs. But the road wasn't easy.

Since then, I've built multiple businesses for international clients. But now, it's time for me to build my own.

Every line of code I write, every project I undertake, is fueled by a desire to give back – to my girlfriend who believed in me, to the open-source community that welcomed me, and to myself.

I've had a lot of money and also been broke. I've felt like a fraud and found my true calling. Through it all, I've learned that success isn't just about money – it's about finding where you belong and using your skills to make a difference.

As I embark on this new chapter, building cool shit, I'm excited for what the future holds. It's been a rollercoaster journey, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cheers to the next adventure!