History of Justin Sun in Timeline

Justin Sun is a Chinese-born Kittitian crypto billionaire and businessman known for founding TRON, the blockchain platform and its associated Tronix (TRX) cryptocurrency token. He is also behind the USDD stablecoin issued by TRON DAO Reserve. Sun owns Rainberry, the company responsible for the BitTorrent protocol, and oversaw the development of the BTT cryptocurrency token. Additionally, he owns the cryptocurrency exchanges Poloniex and HTX. He served as the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva from 2021 to 2023.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

July 30, 1990: Justin Sun's birth

On July 30, 1990, Justin Sun was born in China. He is a crypto billionaire and businessman.

1990: Sun was born

In 1990, Justin Sun was born. He later earned degrees from Peking University and the University of Pennsylvania.

2011: Cover figure of Yazhou Zhoukan

In 2011, Justin Sun became the cover figure of Yazhou Zhoukan.

2013: Joined Ripple Labs

In late 2013, Justin Sun joined Ripple Labs as chief representative and adviser.

2014: Davos Global Shaper

In 2014, Justin Sun became a Davos Global Shaper.

2014: Launched Peiwo

In 2014, Justin Sun launched Peiwo, an app aspiring to become China's Snapchat that matched and connected users by analyzing voice samples and interests.

September 2017: Tron ICO

In September 2017, Justin Sun's company Tron held an initial coin offering (ICO) for the TRX token, raising about $70 million, just before the Chinese government banned ICOs.

2017: Published autobiography titled Brave New World

In 2017 Justin Sun published his autobiography titled Brave New World.

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June 2018: Acquisition of BitTorrent, Inc.

In June 2018, Justin Sun acquired BitTorrent, Inc. for $140 million. The company developed the BitTorrent protocol. During Sun's leadership as CEO, the BitTorrent network launched its own utility token, BTT.

2018: Acquired Maltese residency card

Sometime between 2018 and 2020, Justin Sun acquired a Maltese residency card as a result of investing in the country.

June 2019: Winning bid for dinner with Warren Buffett

In June 2019, Justin Sun placed the winning $4.6 million bid to have a private meal with Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, before canceling it to widespread surprise.

2019: Peiwo shut down by Chinese government

Around 2019, Peiwo was removed from app stores and shut down by the Chinese government for content that "disrupts socialist values."

2019: Comedian artwork

In November 2024, Justin Sun purchased one of the limited edition rights to Comedian, a 2019 conceptual artwork by Maurizio Cattelan consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, for $5.2 million at an auction in New York. He ate the banana onstage.

January 23, 2020: Dinner with Warren Buffett

On January 23, 2020, Justin Sun met with Warren Buffett at the Happy Hollow Club in Omaha, Nebraska. Sun gifted Buffett a phone with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

2020: Civil lawsuit filed against Sun

In 2020, a civil lawsuit was filed against Justin Sun by former TRON employees with allegations "ranging from fraud to harassment to whistleblower retaliation".

2020: Acquired Maltese residency card

Sometime between 2018 and 2020, Justin Sun acquired a Maltese residency card as a result of investing in the country.

July 2021: Unable to attend Blue Origin flight

Although Justin Sun had won the auction to be the first paying passenger on Blue Origin's first crewed mission into space, he was unable to attend the July 2021 flight due to a scheduling conflict.

October 2021: $65 million funding round in Animoca

In October 2021, Justin Sun participated in a $65 million funding round in Hong Kong-based Animoca, a maker of crypto and blockchain video games such as The Sandbox.

December 2021: Announced bid for Blue Origin space flight

In December 2021, Justin Sun announced that he had previously bid $28 million to be the first paying passenger on Blue Origin's first crewed mission into space on the New Shepard.

December 2021: Retired as CEO of TRON

In December 2021, Justin Sun retired as CEO of TRON to become a diplomat for Grenada.

2021: Permanent Representative of Grenada to the WTO

In 2021, Justin Sun became the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. He phased out of his daily roles at his crypto projects.

2021: Appointed Ambassador to WTO

In 2021, Justin Sun was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO). He phased out of his daily roles at his crypto-related projects to focus on his diplomatic role.

2021: Allegations regarding Poloniex customer funds

In 2021, The Verge alleged that Justin Sun demanded personal ownership of misplaced Poloniex customer funds, despite the objections of Poloniex employees.

2022: Purchased HTX

According to Bloomberg, Justin Sun purchased the cryptocurrency exchange HTX (formerly Huobi) in 2022.

2022: FBI investigation

As of 2022, Justin Sun was allegedly under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York for potential criminal prosecution.

2022: Warming relations with CCP

By 2022, Justin Sun's relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had begun to warm, after reportedly falling out of favour for leaving to the United States, with an article authored by Sun on blockchain being published on Study Xi, Strong Nation, and Sun was also appointed to a teaching position on blockchain at the Central Party School.

February 2023: Largest individual staked ether holder

In February 2023, Justin Sun was the largest individual staked ether holder, with a balance of $500 million.

March 2023: Stepped down from position as Permanent Representative of Grenada to the WTO

In March 2023, Justin Sun stepped down from his position as Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization. This followed the previous governing party of Grenada, which had appointed him, losing power in the general election the previous year.

March 2023: SEC filed suit against Sun

In March 2023, under the Biden administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed suit against Justin Sun for selling unregistered securities related to the sale and promotion of Tron (TRX) and BitTorrent (BTT) tokens.

November 2023: Poloniex hacked for $120 million

In November 2023, the Poloniex crypto exchange had $120 million stolen by hackers. Justin Sun offered to let the hackers keep $6.5 million if they returned the rest within 7 days.

2023: End of term as Permanent Representative of Grenada to WTO

In 2023, Justin Sun's term as the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva ended.

October 2024: Elected Speaker of Congress and appointed Prime Minister of Liberland

In October 2024, Justin Sun was elected as a "Speaker of Congress" and appointed as "Prime Minister" of Liberland, a micronation.

November 2024: Purchased and ate Comedian artwork

2024: Investment in World Liberty Financial

In 2024, Justin Sun invested reportedly at least $75 million in World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company associated with Donald Trump.

February 2025: SEC dropped lawsuit against Sun

In February 2025, the SEC dropped its lawsuit against Justin Sun, following Donald Trump's inauguration as president. Sun had purchased $75 million worth of tokens from the Trump-associated World Liberty Financial prior to the SEC dropping the case.

May 2025: Attended dinner hosted by Donald Trump

In May 2025, Justin Sun attended a private dinner hosted by President Donald Trump at Trump National Golf Club for top investors in the $TRUMP meme coin, having spent over $40 million on the token and placing first on its public leaderboard.

August 2025: Flew to space aboard Blue Origin NS-34

In August 2025, Justin Sun flew to space aboard Blue Origin NS-34.

December 2025: Lenient treatment from the SEC

In December 2025, The New York Times reported that Justin Sun's companies had received lenient treatment from the SEC after forming business ties with Donald Trump's companies.

2025: Controls Majority of TRX tokens

As of 2025, Justin Sun currently controls the majority of TRX tokens in circulation.

2025: Estimated net worth of $12.5 billion

As of 2025, Justin Sun's estimated net worth is US$12.5 billion, according to Bloomberg, which is largely held in cryptocurrency, including Tronix tokens (TRX).