Web3 M&A enters the era of super individuals: from asset competition to talent recovery

The Web3 industry in 2026 is undergoing a profound reevaluation of value. In the merger and acquisition wave completed at the end of last year, the industry has moved beyond a phase of simply competing for assets and users, shifting toward more precise talent competition. This shift reflects not only new capital preferences but also a redefinition of the value of “super individuals.”

2025 Data Shows: Web3 M&A Is Accelerating

According to FT statistics, last year’s M&A and financing scale in the crypto industry hit a record high. The total transaction volume reached $8.6 billion, an 18% increase compared to the previous year, with single transactions nearly four times the size of last year’s average. Behind these cold numbers lies a key transformation: as the market shifts from hype narratives to sustainable valuation, industry giants are redefining what makes a target worth acquiring.

Contrasts between data and phenomena are evident. On one hand, Web3 projects integrating AI experienced systematic valuation corrections in Q4, indicating the market bubble is deflating. On the other hand, the number and scale of M&A deals are rising against the trend. What does this imply? Capital is shifting from “broadly casting nets” to “precise sniping.”

What Is a Super Individual: Founders with Irreplaceable Value

A super individual is a new concept emerging in the AI and Web3 eras. Simply put, it’s an independent operational unit with near organizational-level productivity. They are often individuals or very small teams, yet they possess full decision-making authority, rapid execution capabilities, and a self-sustaining value loop.

In AI acquisition cases, this model has been validated: Meta acquired Singapore startup Manus for hundreds of millions of dollars, with founder Xiao Hong directly appointed as Vice President; Nvidia acquired Groq, bringing in the CEO and core technical team; OpenAI spent about $100 million to acquire AI healthcare startup Torch, with all four employees planning to join the new company.

This logic is quickly being replicated in Web3. Rarible, an NFT marketplace, acquired mobile trading app Flipp, promoting its founder and chief product officer directly to vice president of product; Nakamoto Holdings, a Bitcoin asset management firm, was acquired by KindlyMD after raising funds, with the founder immediately becoming CEO and chairman; Coinbase acquired NFT creation platform Echo, whose founder joined Coinbase to lead community integration efforts.

These cases point to a common pattern: the core of acquisitions is no longer asset quantity or user scale, but the founding team itself. Due diligence and deal closing often happen within six months, making the entire process very clear—talent and technological pathways are the true scarce resources.

Talent War Begins: Why Are Giants Starting to Poach Founders

In a market flooded with projects and overwhelmed with information, the core moat of Web3 projects is no longer open-source code or smart contracts. The real competitive advantage boils down to a question: who can occupy users’ minds long-term?

Silicon Valley summarizes this model with a term—Acqui-hire. But in the Web3 context, this concept needs updating. Buying a protocol is easy; copying code costs nearly nothing. But acquiring someone who can continuously attract attention and turn it into consensus is nearly impossible. That’s why giants are willing to pay premiums just to acquire a founder’s ability and influence.

The real transaction logic is about aggregating traffic, trust, and discourse power. In an era of highly fragmented user attention, the most scarce resource is talent capable of defining narratives, shaping consensus, and converting attention into long-term momentum.

A16z’s New Prediction: Media Is Power in a Fragmented Era

To understand this wave of talent acquisitions, we need to consider A16z’s insights on “new media power.” In this declaration, the VC firm makes a bold judgment: media is no longer just a tool for information dissemination but a systemic power structure that can be amplified.

What does this mean? When the old order of capital, media, and distribution channels collapses, the most scarce resource is no longer “being seen,” but the ability to define narratives, shape consensus, and convert attention into lasting momentum.

From this perspective, A16z is not just a traditional VC. It aims to provide a comprehensive empowerment ecosystem: credibility, aesthetic taste, brand-building ability, expertise, and narrative momentum. This blurs the boundaries between content agencies, brand builders, and investors. The ideal founder A16z envisions is a super individual with media attributes, distribution channels, aesthetic systems, and trust endorsements. In other words, such a founder is a brand in themselves, with inherent discourse power.

The Future Direction for Founders: How to Become an Irreplaceable Cognitive Node

By 2026, the wave of Web3 mergers and acquisitions is no longer just about asset restructuring but a reallocation of traffic and talent. This is a very clear signal for all Web3 founders.

To become a target for giants, one must possess several core qualities. First, establish an independent, citable viewpoint system. Second, be a source of a narrative rather than just an executor. Third, be regarded as a “judgment coordinate” and thought leader in a specific vertical. Simply put, the founder themselves is the most valuable item on the balance sheet.

In this new cycle, media and narrative capabilities will become native attributes of Web3 startups, not afterthoughts. Due diligence will shift focus to “talent value assessment.” A founder’s social influence, industry reputation, and ability to capture attention in fragmented information will directly determine the final acquisition premium.

As founders begin to IP-ify themselves, mergers and acquisitions will evolve into a battle for traffic, power, and narrative sovereignty. This not only changes the competitive landscape of Web3 but also points the way for ambitious founders: become an irreplaceable super individual, not an easily replaceable executor.