OKX - Crypto Exchange & Web3 Wallet
Role
Product Marketing Manager
Timeline
2021 - 2024
Location
San Jose, CA
Overview
In late 2021, I joined OKX as a Product Marketing Manager, stepping into one of crypto's most turbulent and exciting periods. I had a front-row seat to historical events — from Terra Luna's collapse and FTX's spectacular implosion to Bitcoin's brutal 77% crash from $65,000 to $15,000.
These events were more than just news headlines for us; they were very real situations demanding delicate customer communication and brand positioning choices that could make or break user trust when the entire industry was under fire. Working at a company moving $30B+ daily and serving 60M+ customers meant every marketing decision carried massive stakes.
My time at OKX was a very formative period of my career. I learned from some of the sharpest minds in crypto who were bulding foundational Web3 infrastructure. Working alongside professionals operating at that level, under that kind of pressure, completely shaped how I operate.
OKX Lite: A Beginner-Friendly Crypto Exchange
2022 was a period in the industry when major exchanges were aggressively trying to reach new audiences and make crypto mainstream. FTX had acquired Blockfolio for $150M to power FTX.US with a more accessible interface, while industry giants like Coinbase offered Coinbase Pro alongside their standard app, and Binance operated both Binance Lite and their advanced trading platform.
The entire industry was focused on solving the same problem: making crypto accessible.
That's exactly the challenge I tackled with my first major project at OKX — OKX Lite. Lite was a beginner-friendly version of the OKX exchange with a minimal interface and no derivative products. No complexity, just an easy way to buy and sell crypto.
I managed the product’s beta phase and subsequent global release across North America, Europe, Latam, and Asia. The launch was a success: Within 3 months of the release, 20% of daily active users (DAUs) used Lite as their default mode in the app and it later became the standard interface in regulated markets like Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey.
Public Beta: We started with a landing page where users could sign up for early access by providing their email and device type (iOS or Android).
Rollout and Feedback: The product was initially rolled out to 10.000 Beta testers. iOS users accessed the beta version via TestFlight, while Android users used an APK file.
Global Launch: After fixing critical bugs and incorporating feedback, we worked with regional marketing managers and channel leads to announce OKX Lite's global availability.
Comms Strategy: Our messaging focused on making crypto accessible: "Crypto can be complicated. Let's keep it Lite"; "Your crypto journey starts here"; "Experience a whole new OKX, built for the features that matter most"; "A faster, sleeker, simpler OKX".
Success Metrics: Within 3 months of the release, 20% of daily active users (DAUs) used Lite as their default mode in the app and it later became the standard interface in regulated markets like Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey.
OKX Wallet and Web3 Features
The FTX collapse in late 2022 created a massive opportunity. Users were fleeing centralized exchanges, desperate for self-custody solutions they could actually trust. That's when I stepped in to help market the OKX Wallet.
Our vision was to create "one wallet to rule them all". Instead of forcing users to juggle multiple wallets and apps, we essentially built a portal to Web3 with an NFT marketplace, cross-chain DEX with smart routing, and a DeFi protocol aggregator. The idea was to provide users everything they needed all in one place, along with enhanced security features and an easy way to manage and revoke smart contract permissions.
By offering users a secure, integrated wallet, we addressed trust concerns head-on. Users could also trade on the OKX exchange, then instantly transfer funds to their wallet, all within the same app — making the transition between CeFi and DeFi as easy as possible.
Key Feature GTMs
OKX Bridge: Launched the OKX Bridge for cross-chain transactions and integrated the product with Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) for converting USDC across chains.
Snap Mode (Powered by UniswapX): Announced support for "Snap Mode" transactions, powered by UniswapX, for instant, low cost token swaps.
Concentrated Liquidity Pools: Announced the OKX Wallet's integration with Uniswap V3, which allowed market makers to allocate funds within custom price ranges, maximizing returns for liquidity providers and mitigating impermanent loss.
DeFi Protocol Integrations: Collaborated with projects like Lido, Scallop, Renzo, Stader, EigenLayer, Babylon, and Venus to offer subsidized yield and drive TVL growth.
CertiK Security Scores: Partnered with CertiK to provide security scores for different DeFi protocols and keep users informed about potential risks when staking.
Success Metrics (Aug 2022 - Feb 2023)
OKX Wallet staking TVL: Grew by 640%, from 50M to over 320M.
OKX Wallet DAWs: Increased from 26K to 55.3K (113% growth).
Overseas OKX Wallet DAWs: Grew from 7.3K to 27.6K (272% growth).
Share of DAWs excluding China: Increased from 28% to 50%.
OKX Wallet 2025 Numbers
Marketing Efficiency and Collaboration
OKX’s Web3 team averaged two feature announcements per week and at least one significant product development per month. Keeping up with the product was hard, but we did a great job thanks to OKX’s CMO, Haider Rafique, who implemented a well designed “shared services” model for the marketing org. Marketing efforts were streamlined with request forms and project trackers, covering video production, content creation, events, localization, and campaign performace data requests.
"Will is a hard worker who delivers under tight deadlines and embraces challenges with a 'can-do' attitude. His writing skills are outstanding, crafting clear and compelling content. I wholeheartedly recommend him and hope our paths cross again."
Kristen Wagner, Program Manager at OKX
Reflections and Next Steps
I'm incredibly grateful for my time at OKX, where I worked alongside world-class talent, helped launch amazing products, and traveled the globe. Ultimately, my passion for building companies from the ground up drew me to an exciting new startup focused on tokenizing private assets. The company’s details are still under wraps until its 2025 launch, but I can’t wait to share more soon!
