Tech bros on X praise Singapore but say it needs more ‘soul’

SINGAPORE: It all started when the person behind a well-known but anonymous crypto trading account was in Singapore recently. Although he praised the city-state in a recent post on X, he added that Singapore is “missing something.”

Then, another tech bro shared the post, adding that the Singapore government should invest more in the arts to give it “more soul.”

Needless to say, both takes have given rise to some strong reactions.

The first post was from an account called Altcoin Sherpa, an active cryptocurrency trader and investor since 2016. He has chosen to remain anonymous and has built a large following on X, YouTube, and other crypto media channels by posting analysis and commentary.

On May 31, he wrote, “Singapore has everything you need in a country: good food, efficient, clean, 0 crime, great for business, nice location, etc, but it’s missing something. Maybe some danger, maybe some soul.”

As can be expected, as his post got over 250,000 views, there was a substantial degree of pushback, especially from Singaporeans, who told him that they like the way things are in the city-state.

The post author seemed to waffle a bit, saying in response to one comment, “I don’t like it here much either. But on paper, it is great,” and in another, “I come to Singapore for the food and the safety and the peace.”

A commenter shot back, saying, “There are many places in the world with ‘danger’ and ‘soul.’ There are a few places with safety, efficiency, cleanliness, great for business, and low corruption.”

Others, however, said they agreed with him and described Singapore as boring. As one wrote, “It’s missing space, seasons, and culture.”

The second post was from @Zac_labs, the founder of Pundi X Labs, an Indonesian tech firm specialising in blockchain payments and AI-driven solutions headquartered in Singapore.

In re-tweeting the post from @AltcoinSherpa, he wrote, “Singapore is the best place to be stable, raise a family, and be boring in a good way.

You don’t want AC water dripping on you on the way to work, or your kid jaywalking while cars run the lights.

If anything, what the SG government should do is invest more in the arts — stand-up comedy, buskers, indie music. That’s the ‘soul’ everyone says SG is missing. Lastly, if you are too bored, we have Johor Bahru and Batam!”

Many commenters agreed with him, saying that the arts are lacking in Singapore.

“Many local artists have been struggling for decades. Since the 1980s, homegrown musicians, performers, and creatives have found it difficult to sustain a career locally. While there are clubs, galleries, concerts, and cultural events, much of the activity is driven by imported talent rather than a strong domestic ecosystem. 

Singapore excelled at building infrastructure, business hubs, financial services, and world-class attractions. It is efficient, clean, safe, and prosperous, but culturally, it can sometimes feel more like a showcase of hardware than software, a playground for wealth and impressive architecture rather than a city driven by artistic expression,” an X user wrote. /TISG

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