## Bitmain Power Struggle: Inside the Rift Between Jihan Wu and Co-Founder Zhan

**The crypto mining giant faces internal collapse and external scrutiny as founder tensions escalate, with reports suggesting legal action and operational disruptions shaking one of Bitcoin's most critical infrastructure providers.**

### The Breakdown Between Two Leaders

Bitmain's dual leadership model, which positioned both Jihan Wu and Micree Zhan as co-CEOs, has reportedly fractured beyond repair in 2025. The two executives brought vastly different backgrounds to their roles: Jihan Wu, leveraging his Peking University credentials and strategic connections, has historically managed business partnerships and corporate direction. Micree Zhan Ketuan, with his Chinese Academy of Sciences pedigree, anchored technical operations and chip development. Their diverging visions and competing interests finally reached a breaking point, triggering what insiders describe as a full-scale operational crisis.

The split carries implications far beyond Bitmain's boardroom. Industry sources indicate Zhan faces potential financial penalties and alleged detention issues, while Jihan Wu's political and business networks have reportedly become a point of leverage in the dispute. Some accounts suggest Zhan may have left the country months ago, though verification remains difficult.

### Why This Matters for Bitcoin Mining

Bitmain's infrastructure undergirds the global Bitcoin network. The company controls equipment responsible for approximately 74% of the Bitcoin hash rate worldwide. Mining hardware disruptions—whether through supply chain interruptions, operational leadership vacuums, or regulatory interference—create cascading effects across the entire ecosystem.

Beyond Bitcoin, Bitmain produces chips deployed in AI data centers running advanced computing systems. Any operational instability reverberates through multiple industries simultaneously. Recent reports document disruptions in major mining operations, linked directly to the internal leadership crisis between Jihan Wu and his co-founder.

### External Pressures Compound Internal Chaos

The Bitmain situation exists within a broader geopolitical context. Regulatory scrutiny from multiple jurisdictions, hardware security concerns, and supply chain tensions have already strained the company. The alleged legal actions against Zhan, combined with operational conflicts, arrive at precisely the moment when Bitmain faces mounting external challenges.

Additionally, lawsuits from clients alleging contract breaches add financial and reputational weight to the company's current crisis. Any leadership vacuum during this period creates compounding vulnerabilities—technical operations may stall, strategic decisions delay, and competitive positioning weakens.

### What Happens Next

The crypto community watches closely as the Jihan Wu-Zhan dispute unfolds. Whether the two founders reconcile, restructure their leadership model, or pursue complete separation remains uncertain. Industry observers note that even resolution won't immediately stabilize mining dynamics—hardware markets, supply chains, and competitive positioning have already shifted.

For Bitcoin miners, institutions, and network participants, clarity around Bitmain's future leadership and operational capacity directly impacts mining profitability, hardware availability, and network security. The outcome of this power struggle ripples far beyond a single company.