Meet the founder
Payton Luther
Founder, AutoStaff - and the person who answers when something goes wrong.
I grew up on a cattle farm, built roads through the woods with my hands, and went from homeless to a $200,000 year on nothing but grit. I'm an ambitious go-getter and an honorable man - I see a goal and I achieve it, and I don't stop until I get what I want. I genuinely love serving people. The same hands that run a tractor and separate calves also code DeFi liquidity algorithms and cook restaurant-style hibachi. In short: I'm the most interesting man in the world.
26
years old - born October 22, 2000
Year of the Metal Dragon. It sums me up.
142
IQ test score
$200K
a year, built from homelessness
50
head of cattle, moved by hand every single day
0
days I've given up
The story
How it happened
Raised on a cattle farm
Every day it was the same job: fifty head of cattle into the pens, calves separated, rain or shine. I built roads through the woods with my hands and learned to run a farm and a tractor before most kids learned to drive. The rule was simple: get it done, no matter what. Three years in Air Force JROTC along the way - a side thing, but it sharpened the discipline.
From homelessness to $200,000 a year
I hit rock bottom and refused to stay there. No inheritance, no lucky break - just an IQ tested at 142, an iron work ethic, and a promise to myself that I would never, ever give up. I kept it. Now I make $200,000 a year, and the only thing that changed is how far I'm willing to go.
Quant DeFi engineer
The same hands that ran the tractor hop on a PC and code quantitative DeFi liquidity algorithms. Farm by day, markets by night - I've never liked being one thing.
Founder of AutoStaff
I built AutoStaff because I genuinely love customer service. Helping people through a hard world is one of my favorite things to do - clients get straight answers, contractors get paid fairly, and everyone gets a human on the other end.
Shinobi Unleashed
Now I'm building Shinobi Unleashed, an MMORPG - the project that grew out of a lifelong love of Naruto and the shows I grew up watching. The same scrappiness that built AutoStaff is building a game world.
Beyond the code
The rest of me
The person behind the platform is a lot more interesting than the platform.
Mountaineering
I climb for the same reason I build: to see if I can. I've been benighted on a mountain face in full kit - plate carrier, rifle and a pack of gear - and I got down the same way I always do: one move at a time.
Explorer
I've traveled all over the world, and the itch never goes away. I've found two caves on my own - two more than most people ever will.
Marksmanship
I'm serious about shooting sports. My favorite sidearm is a Gen 4 Glock 21 in .45 - the kind of detail only someone who actually trains would mention.
Cars and drifting
Performance driving and drifting are the hobby that never gets old. The Shelby GT500 is not a dream car - it's the near future.
Cooking
I'm a really good cook - restaurant-style hibachi is my signature. People who show up hungry leave with opinions about what I should make next.
Emo music
Emo and alternative are the soundtrack. The emo kid never left - the music just got louder.
Motivation
Brian Tracy, Earl Nightingale, Bob Proctor - the giants of motivation live in my ears. Motivation and the indomitable human spirit run through my blood.
Helping people
I keep an impact gun in the truck for a reason. I've changed strangers' tires on the side of the road because I know how hard this world is - and I believe we get through it if we work together.
Home life
I spend my non-building hours with my dog and my girlfriend - the two who keep me honest about what the work is actually for.
Star Wars and Naruto
Lifelong fan of both. One explains the space ambition, the other explains why there's a ninja-inspired MMORPG in development. My favorite color is purple - which is why this page is.
Philosopher
I'm a philosopher at heart. Epictetus said circumstances don't make the man - they merely reveal him to himself. I read that and felt seen.
Coding
I like coding. Quant algorithms, liquidity systems, an entire MMORPG - the keyboard is where I feel most at home.
The next chapter
Where I'm headed
I made it from homelessness to $200,000 a year. I'm not stopping.
Shelby GT500
Not a dream car - the near future. The 2005-09 is the one.
Yachts and helicopters
The next rungs on a ladder I keep climbing.
The whole world
Traveling everywhere and experiencing everything life has to offer before I die.
The philosopher
What I believe
“Don't think about who you'll be when you become a millionaire. Think about the man you'll become in the process of getting there - because even if you fail, you'll be so much further along than you are now. So much smarter. So much more capable.”
The line I open every speech with
“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
Brian Tracy
“We become what we think about.”
Earl Nightingale
“Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.”
Bob Proctor
“Circumstances do not make the man - they merely reveal him to himself.”
Epictetus
That's not marketing copy - it's how I actually live. I'm an honorable man: I see a goal and I achieve it, and I don't stop until I get what I want. Empathy, compassion and patience aren't soft skills to me - they're the whole ballgame. I'm one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and that's not an accident. I've been to the bottom and climbed out, so I know exactly how much a helping hand is worth - and I hand them out like it's my job. Because to me, it is.