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Crypto CEO Ryan Selkis Resigns After Tweeting It’s a ‘Literal War’ With Those Who Don’t Vote for Trump
After gaining notoriety in the cryptocurrency industry as co-founder of blockchain analytics firm Messari and organizer of the popular Mainnet conference, Ryan Selkis stepped down as CEO on Friday following a series of politically charged tweets related to his recent support for former President Donald Trump.
Selkis briefly made his X account private on Thursday after telling a green card holder he hoped “we would send him back,” and a day later announced he had decided to step aside as CEO. “This week was the first week in 6.5 years where my politics and rhetoric put the team in jeopardy. [sic],” tweeted Selkis, who remains as an adviser to Messari.
‘Difficult Love’
In an industry known for brash personalities and quick failures, Selkis has carved out a name for himself as one of the most visible figures on Chirping and through the conference circuit. After entering the cryptocurrency industry as a consultant, he rose to become a director of digital asset empire Digital Currency Group before joining its portfolio company, cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk, as CEO, just before the 2017 bull market. He left in early 2018 to confuse Messari.
Designed to compete with traditional financial services like Bloomberg, Messari has become one of the most popular platforms in the cryptocurrency industry, raising a number of rounds including a $35 million Series B in 2022 by Brevan Howard Digital, Point72 and Monetary base Ventures that valued the company at $300 million. Messari also runs the New York-based Mainnet conference, where Selkis has been a keynote speaker, conducting on-stage interviews with the likes of Vivek Ramaswamy.
Representatives for Brevan Howard Digital, Point72, and Coinbase Ventures declined to comment.
While Selkis was a former supporter of President Biden, according to a recent profile in DL News, has become a vocal supporter of Trump in recent months. In May, Trump guest Selkis will speak on stage at an event at Mar-a-Lago, which coincides with the presidential candidate’s newfound support for cryptocurrencies. Since then, Selkis has used his influential X account, with over 350,000 followers, to share his increasingly charged thoughts. That included a post that “anyone who votes against Trump at this point can die in a fucking fire,” as well as his response to a greenback holder who hopes he doesn’t become a citizen.
While Selkis’ tweets have taken on a defiant tone, he received a “tough love” session from Messari’s leadership, according to a post Thursday, and admitted that he was “running too fast.”
Eric Turner, chief revenue officer, will take over as interim CEO.
The story continues
“Messari would not be the company it is today, nor the company it will be in the future, without Ryan’s clear vision and dedicated leadership,” the company said in a post on X.
After the publication, Fortune spoke with Jeff Clavier, founder of venture capital firm Uncork Capital and a board member of Messari. He said the board and team made the decision with Selkis after he “went too far” with some of his posts, confirming the company’s public announcement.
“From a business perspective, things were said that shouldn’t have been said,” Clavier said. “We agreed that the best thing to do was to hand over the reins to [Turner]and we announced it to the team this morning.”
Clavier added that Selkis will “probably” be involved with Mainnet, though not necessarily as a host, a role Selkis has long held. “Ryan is an open book,” Clavier said. “The guy doesn’t hold back.”
This story was originally published on Fortune.com