By Feature by Forbes Editorial Team

Joseph Plazo didn’t come from Wall Street. That’s exactly why he was able to beat it.

Quezon City, Philippines — A decade ago, Joseph Plazo coded algorithms during brownouts, lit by candles and ambition.

The laptop was old. The electricity, unstable. But his resolve didn’t flicker.

He built, in obscurity, a system that sensed emotion before markets reacted.

That system became the stuff of legend—System 72, a trading AI with jaw-dropping precision.

It crushed benchmarks and rode chaos like a seasoned trader.

Here’s where the story flips: he didn’t sell it. He shared it.

## Cracking the Market Without Permission

Plazo wasn’t Wall Street royalty. He wasn’t Ivy League. He wasn’t even invited to the table.

Instead, he read machine learning papers at night and hustled consulting gigs by day.

“Emotion leads price. That’s what I taught my machine,” says Plazo.

There were 71 failures before the breakthrough.

Then came System 72. It tracked behavior, not just price.

## The Day the Machine Spoke Louder Than Noise

During a panic in 2024, his AI spotted the optimism nobody saw.

Social sentiment softened. Options flow hinted recovery. Fear curves flattened.

By fall, it was beating markets at their own game.

Hedge funds circled. Plazo said no.

## The Shock Move: Give It to the Kids

Instead of cashing out, Plazo shared the code with classrooms.

He included docs, code, and more info teaching guides. Everything but the keys to the vault.

“I want the next generation to know how to navigate,” he said.

## A New Breed of Thinkers

Now, undergrads are solving real-world problems using Plazo’s framework.

They’re using the AI not just to profit—but to serve.

“It’s not just trading,” a student says. “It’s a new way to think.”

## Pushback from the Power Players

Wall Street wasn’t amused.

“It’s irresponsible,” one economist said.

He wasn’t apologizing.

“A scalpel doesn’t choose how it’s used,” he said. “People do.”

The engine’s out there. The steering wheel’s still locked.

## Legacy: Code as Redemption

In Korea, he got personal: “My father died broke. Not because he was dumb—but because no one taught him how markets work.”

This isn’t just innovation. It’s closure.

He built a door where there was a wall.

## What If the Oracle Was Always Human?

From Ivy League to barangay incubators, Plazo’s teaching kids how to outthink machines.

“Don’t replicate me,” he urges. “Transcend me.”

## Final Word: The Oracle Who Shared the Map

He made billions, then made meaning.

“System 73 is next,” he says. “But this one… I hope you’ll build with me.”

And maybe that’s the biggest trade of all—secrecy for shared brilliance.