Crypto founder steps down as Messari CEO after tweeting it’s ‘literal war’ with anyone who votes against Trump

After rising to prominence in the cryptocurrency industry as a 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 that he hoped “we send him back,” and a day later announced that he had decided to step down as CEO. “This week was the first week in 6.5 years that my politics and rhetoric have put the team in danger [sic],” tweeted Selkis, who remains an advisor to Messari.

‘Tough love’

In an industry known for fiery personalities and quick failures, Selkis has built a name for himself as one of the most visible figures in the industry. Twitter and all over the conference circuit. After entering the crypto industry as a consultant, he became a director at the digital asset empire Digital Currency Group before joining its portfolio company, the crypto news site CoinDesk, as a managing director just before the 2017 bull market. He left in early 2018 to confuse Messari.

Aimed at competing with traditional financial services like Bloomberg, Messari has become one of the most popular platforms in crypto, raising a number of rounds including a $35 million Series B in 2022 from Brevan Howard Digital, Point72 and Coinbase Ventures that valued the company at $300 million. Messari also runs the New York-based Mainnet conference, where Selkis has played a leading role, conducting on-stage interviews with figures such as Vivek Ramaswamy.

Representatives for Brevan Howard Digital, Point72 and Coinbase Ventures declined to comment.

Although Selkis has been a longtime supporter of President Biden, according to a recent profile on DL News, he has become a vocal supporter of Trump in recent months. In May, Trump We invite Selkis will speak on stage at an event at Mar-a-Lago, which coincided with the presidential candidate’s newfound support for cryptocurrency. Since then, Selkis has used his influential X account — which has over 350,000 followers — to share his increasingly charged thoughts. These have included posting that “anyone who votes against Trump right now could die in a fire,” as well as his response to a greenback holder who he hopes won’t become a citizen.

While Selkis’ tweets took on a defiant tone, he received a “tough love” session from Messari leadership, according to a post on Thursday, and admitted that “it was pretty heated.”

Eric Turner, chief revenue officer, will take over as interim CEO.

“Messari would not be the company it is today, or what it will be in the future, without Ryan’s clear vision and dedicated leadership,” the company said in a post on X.

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