Ryan Selkis, the co-founder and CEO of crypto analytics company Messari, has immediately resigned following a series of controversial posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Messari’s Ryan Selkis Under Fire
The controversy surrounding Selkis began when he made statements such as, “I hate leftists with the fire of 100 suns. I’m not Republican. I’m built different. War” and expressed frustration after an incident involving an attempt on the President’s life.
Additionally, in one since-deleted post, Ryan Selkis stated, “Anyone that votes against Trump at this point can die in a fucking fire. Literal war.” These remarks sparked concern and criticism from various individuals and communities, including community members like Adriano Feria.
Adriano Feria questioned the nature of Selkis’ remarks, calling them incitement and “self-destructive behavior” that adversaries of the United States would welcome.
Selkis responded to Feria, a writer on Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies, by expressing hope that Feria would be “sent back” after asking him if he was a US citizen or just a green card holder.
As a result, Ryan Selkis found himself at the center of public opinion within the crypto community, and industry practitioners expressed their intention to sever ties with Messari in the future.
Change Of Leadership
In response to the mounting concerns, Selkis initially stated that he would address these issues soon. Still, they later declared that his political beliefs and rhetoric had compromised the Messari team’s safety.
Consequently, Ryan Selkis decided to step aside as CEO, with Eric Turner, Messari’s Chief Revenue Officer and a founding team member, assuming the role of interim CEO. Messari confirmed Selkis’ resignation by stating:
Ryan recently let us know of his decision to step back from an operational role as the CEO of Messari so that he can focus his time fully on crypto policy and national issues of importance to him. Messari would not be the company it is today, or what it will be in the future, without Ryan’s clear vision and devoted leadership.
Featured image from Fortune, chart from TradingView.com