John Wu posted on X on Aug. 18, 2026, that he had appointed Charley Cooper president of Ava Labs1. Wu moved himself to senior advisor in the same post, and named Lydia Chiu chief financial officer after she had held the job on an interim basis.
The third executive hire at Ava Labs on the record since 2021
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Ava Labs, by year
- 2026: 4
- 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 | 4 |
45 executive hires on the record in 2026 so far
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2026: 45
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
The handoff
Wu's own post laid out why he chose Cooper. “Charley is an exceptional operator whose skills have been honed by the US DoD, CFTC, and Tradfi institutions such as Deutsche Bank and State Street,” Wu wrote. “Combined with over a decade in blockchain, he is the obvious choice to lead the company's day-to-day operations through its next phase of growth.”1 Blockchain.News reported the move nearly a month later, on Sept. 15, confirming that Cooper had served as Ava Labs' chief operating officer before the promotion and that the leadership changes kept co-founder Emin Gün Sirer in place as CEO2.
Wu framed his own exit from the president title as a shift in focus rather than a departure. “I will transition to Senior Advisor, where I'll continue advising on the long-term strategy and deepening Avalanche's relationships on Wall Street and Silicon Valley,” he wrote1. He added a personal note to the same post. “I will also take this chance to spend more time with the family and improve my tennis game.”
Ava Labs before and after
Wu's post measured the company's growth against its start. “It was not so long ago when we were a team of ten Cornellians working out of a modest office in Brooklyn,” he wrote. “We are now a company of over 200 people powering the preferred platform for institutional operations.”1 Blockchain.News framed the reshuffle as a signal of priorities rather than a market event, writing that the changes underscored "operational maturity and long-term growth" over near-term adjustments2.
What to watch
Cooper's background sits in regulated finance and government work, so the test ahead is whether Ava Labs lands the institutional partnerships Wu described in his post. A second marker is whether Wu's advisory role keeps him visible in public statements about Avalanche's Wall Street relationships, the task he said he would keep.
Sources
- John Wu, "John Wu announces Charley Cooper as President of Ava Labs," X, Aug. 18, 2026, https://x.com/John1wu/status/2089736998768558383
- Joerg Hiller, "Ava Labs Reshuffles Leadership as Charley Cooper Becomes President," Blockchain.News, Sept. 15, 2026, https://blockchain.news/news/ava-labs-leadership-reshuffle-charley-cooper-president