Messari CEO Ryan Selkis resigns following backlash over controversial pro-Donald Trump tweets, transitioning to a Senior Advisor role.
Points
- Ryan Selkis resigns as Messari CEO due to controversial pro-Trump tweets.
- Eric Turner, former Chief Revenue Officer, takes over as CEO.
- Selkis transitions to a Senior Advisor role, focusing on long-term strategy.
- Tweets reflect the significance of the upcoming election for the crypto industry.
Ryan Selkis, a prominent figure in the crypto industry and CEO of Messari, a leading crypto research platform, has resigned following backlash over several controversial tweets supporting Donald Trump. On July 19, Selkis stepped down from his role at Messari, stating that his “politics and rhetoric put the team in harm’s way.”
Selkis, known as twobitidiot on social media platform X, will transition to a Senior Advisor role, focusing on the company’s long-term strategy. The former Chief Revenue Officer, Eric Turner, will now assume the CEO position. Turner has been with Messari since its inception, building the research team from scratch and managing sales and marketing functions.
Over the past week, Selkis faced backlash from the crypto community over his political statements. He posted several incendiary comments following a failed assassination attempt on Trump, which included harsh remarks toward those opposing Trump. In one post, he tweeted that “anyone that votes against Trump at this point can die in a fucking fire.”
While Selkis apologized for these comments, he defended his position in his resignation letter. He expressed horror at the failed assassination attempt and criticized the media and Biden administration’s response. “I have been disgusted at the media and administration’s abject failures at pressing for answers in the attack’s aftermath, as well as their failure to tamp down the divisive rhetoric that contributed to the attack in the first place,” Selkis stated.
Market experts pointed out that Selkis’s political rhetoric reflects the importance of this electoral cycle for the emerging industry. Several crypto stakeholders—including Gemini twin co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood, and billionaire Elon Musk—support a Trump presidency.
Former President Trump has recently taken a more supportive stance on cryptocurrency. He pledged to back the industry and end the Biden administration’s “war on crypto” if re-elected in November. However, skeptics like BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes argue that Trump’s pro-crypto stance is merely a tactic to win votes. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin also cautioned against supporting politicians solely based on their pro-crypto statements, emphasizing the importance of decentralization and freedom in the crypto space.
解説
- Ryan Selkis’s resignation as Messari CEO follows backlash over controversial pro-Trump tweets, highlighting the intersection of politics and the crypto industry.
- Eric Turner, taking over as CEO, will focus on maintaining Messari’s growth and stability while Selkis transitions to a Senior Advisor role.
- Selkis’s tweets and subsequent resignation underscore the political tensions and their impact on the crypto community.
- The support for Trump from various crypto stakeholders reflects the industry’s concerns about current regulatory policies.
- Skeptics like Arthur Hayes and Vitalik Buterin emphasize the need for careful consideration of political endorsements, focusing on decentralization and freedom.