When a researcher joins the community and quickly climbs the ranks, they are noticed. Mongo, currently ranked 8th on the Bugcrowd Leaderboard with an acceptance rate of 99%, is a prime example of this. With only 6 months of submitting bugs, their climb to the top shows potential. Mongo's background as a developer with an interest in security and low-level programming led them to start participating in Capture-the-Flag (CTF) events, which sparked their passion for security research. Their first bug bounty submission was around 6 months ago, but they've recently increased their focus on it. Mongo tends to focus on XXE or RCE bugs, as these are often less researched and harder to find. Contributing to a safer cyber-world motivates them, along with the technical challenge of finding vulnerabilities. To other bounty hunters, they suggest participating in CTF challenges, reading solutions posted by others, and getting in early on new bug bounty programs to maximize value. The future of bug bounties is bright, with consumers being safer, companies learning from bugs before news stories, and independent security researchers being fairly paid. Mongo would like to see more bounties on hardware and binary targets, which currently dominate the market.