Samson Mow left Blockstream as chief strategy officer on March 1, 2022. "Today is my last day with @Blockstream," Mow posted. “It's been a grand adventure working with @adam3us for the last 5 years and together we've accomplished a great deal from sidechains, to mining, to satellites”1.
Four leadership moves at Blockstream on the record since 2016
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct. 3, 2016 | Back became CEO. Adam Back was named Chief Executive Officer of Blockstream |
| Oct. 3, 2016 | Hill left as CEO. Austin Hill left as Chief Executive Officer of Blockstream |
| March 1, 2022 | Mow left as Chief Strategy Officer. Samson Mow left as Chief Strategy Officer of Blockstream |
| Oct. 15, 2024 | Minkevich became COO. Michael Minkevich was named Chief Operating Officer of Blockstream |
Nine executive exits on the record in 2022
Executive exits CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2022: 9
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
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 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 27 |
The departure
Mow had worked at the Canada-based firm since April 2017, Cointelegraph reported2. He tied the timing to Bitcoin's growth outside the company, a reason apart from anything happening inside it. “With everything happening at light speed in El Salvador, and more and more countries interested in adopting #Bitcoin, I found my time each day just no longer enough anymore,” Mow said. “So with @Blockstream in a very good place and well capitalized after a successful B round, it was the right time to move on. It also feels like now is a pivotal point in #Bitcoin's evolution, we're on the verge of mass adoption, and I think that I can make it happen faster”.
Blockstream before and after
Mow had also served as chief executive of the game studio Pixelmatic. Cointelegraph reported he kept that title through the Blockstream departure2. He planned to keep backing Blockstream's sidechain network, Liquid, even after he left. Cointelegraph quoted him calling it important "in the reformation of the legacy financial system". Mow had also worked on plans for a Bitcoin-mining city in El Salvador, one meant to run on geothermal power from the Conchagua volcano.
What came next
Five weeks later, on April 7, 2022, CoinDesk reported that Mow had started a new company, JAN3. The venture raised $21 million at a $100 million valuation. “JAN3 will be focused on advancing Bitcoin and layer 2 technologies like Liquid and Lightning, which are the key to mass adoption and a Bitcoin circular economy,” Mow said in a press release CoinDesk quoted3. JAN3 took over two properties from Blockstream itself, the Bitcoin wallet AQUA and the NFT marketplace Raretoshi. The new company also signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of El Salvador, CoinDesk reported, to build digital infrastructure there.
Sources
- Samson Mow, "Today is my last day with @Blockstream...," X, March 1, 2022, https://x.com/excellion/status/1498680531520827399
- Turner Wright, "Samson Mow leaves Blockstream, plans to focus on 'nation-state Bitcoin adoption,'" Cointelegraph, March 1, 2022, https://cointelegraph.com/news/samson-mow-leaves-blockstream-plans-to-focus-on-nation-state-bitcoin-adoption
- Brandy Betz, "Ex-Blockstream Exec Samson Mow Raises $21M for Bitcoin Startup JAN3," CoinDesk, April 7, 2022, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/04/07/ex-blockstream-exec-samson-mow-raises-21m-for-bitcoin-startup-jan3/