By Feature Report by the Forbes Innovation Team
What if someone created a market cheat code—and then uploaded it for the world to use?
Hong Kong, 2025 — In a sunlit University of Hong Kong classroom, Joseph Plazo walked the stage like a code-wielding prophet.
PhDs and programmers sat frozen, eyes locked on the projector as a piece of market history appeared as code.
“What you’re seeing,” he said, “is the DNA of something that never lost.”
“And it belongs to you now.”
## The Code That Outplayed Wall Street
Godmode—formally known as System 72—emerged after 12 years and 71 failures.
It marries algorithmic speed with emotional insight, producing near-psychic trades.
It scrapes Reddit threads, decodes Fed speech stress levels, reads derivatives flow, and parses tweet tone.
“Markets aren’t equations,” Plazo explains. “They’re emotional theaters.”
What followed was a masterclass in predictive finance.
It shorted dips, longed rallies, and sidestepped black swans.
Plazo’s firm made billions.
## Then Came the Twist
In Manila’s financial district, Joseph Plazo said something unthinkable.
“I’m open-sourcing Godmode,” he said flatly.
It wasn’t a joke. It was a paradigm shift.
No hedge fund exclusives. No paywalls. Just code—for students.
“Genius shouldn’t be hoarded,” Plazo told Forbes. “It should be cultivated.”
## The Educational Revolution That Followed
Soon, labs from Singapore to Japan were adapting the code in wildly creative ways.
Jakarta students used it to detect unrest. Seoul labs used it to predict EV charging loads.
“This could be AI’s Gutenberg moment,” one Singapore professor claimed.
Even the IMF quietly requested a trial.
## Critics, Controversy, and the Ethics of Genius
Naturally, the elite weren’t thrilled.
“He’s more info playing with fire,” said a Wall Street analyst.
But Plazo didn’t blink.
“You don’t blame the scalpel,” he said. “You train the hand.”
You can access the mind. You still need to build the body.
“The skeleton’s yours to build,” he added.
## Real Stories from the Ground
A part-time data analyst in Manila launched a startup after six months of trading.
Vietnamese undergrads used the model to stabilize food market risk.
In Mumbai, a student cried as he shared: “I never thought I’d understand markets. Now I build AI.”
## The Philosophy That Powers the Gift
When asked why he did it, Plazo’s answer was simple: “Power should compound, not consolidate.”
Knowledge is infrastructure—not a luxury item.
“What scares me isn’t misuse—it’s missed opportunity,” he explained.
## Conclusion: The Joystick Is Yours Now
Back on campus, Plazo watches students code with the same hunger he once had.
“Markets were my test bed,” he says. “Empowerment is the real product.”
In a data-driven age, he opened the source of brilliance.
And somewhere, a kid is writing the next version of System 72—because now, they can.