Dapper Labs named Nick Grudin its chief business officer on August 11, 2022. The hire brought in a 12-year Meta veteran who had most recently served as the social media company's vice president of content and community partnerships2. Dapper Labs, the Vancouver-based company behind the Flow blockchain and NBA Top Shot, announced the hire formally on August 16, 2022, five days later1.
Four leadership moves at Dapper Labs on the record since 2022
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 |
|---|---|
| Aug. 11, 2022 | Grudin became Chief Business Officer. Nick Grudin was named Chief Business Officer of Dapper Labs |
| Nov. 2, 2022 | Layoffs. Layoffs at Dapper Labs became public |
| Feb. 23, 2023 | Layoffs. Layoffs at Dapper Labs became public |
| July 13, 2023 | Layoffs. Layoffs at Dapper Labs became public |
37 executive hires on the record in 2022
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2022: 37
- 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 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
The move
Dapper Labs chief executive Roham Gharegozlou tied the hire to the company's growth ambitions. “Nick will help us to further accelerate our goal to bring the first billion people to the blockchain,” he said2. Grudin answered in similar terms, framing Dapper as an industry leader. “It's an honor to join the Dapper Labs team. As the industry-leader in mainstream adoption of decentralized technologies, I'm excited to be part of the company's next chapter as we bring the benefits of blockchain to the first billion people,” Grudin said1.
Grudin also described his own alignment with Dapper's mission. “I share a similar vision for blockchain and can't wait to work with the team to put a crypto wallet in every pocket,” he said2. A Meta spokesperson gave Techcouver a parting statement about Grudin's departure. “We're grateful for Nick's contributions over the last 12 years and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” the spokesperson said, adding that the content and community partnerships team was "well positioned to innovate for years to come".
Before and after the hire
At Dapper Labs, Grudin took charge of partnerships and developer experience. His portfolio covered the Dapper wallet and the Flow blockchain, the company's own release said1. The appointment also triggered an internal reshuffle. Mik Naayem, Dapper's chief business officer before Grudin arrived, moved into a newly created role as the company's president. Dapper Labs listed the NBA, NFL, LaLiga, Warner Music Group, Ubisoft and UFC as studio partners in the same release. It said it had raised over $600 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures.
Grudin's prior role at Meta put him in charge of content and community partnerships for over a decade2. Before Facebook, he worked at Newsweek3. He also worked at the Boston Consulting Group, Variety later reported.
What came next
Meta rehired Grudin as head of content partnerships on March 22, 2023, seven months after he left for Dapper Labs, Variety reported3. Grudin reported to his former boss, Justin Osofsky, Meta's head of online sales, operations and partnerships. He again oversaw partnerships across Meta's creator, media and sports work. Variety said "a Meta representative declined to comment" and "Dapper Labs didn't respond to a request for comment" on the reasons behind the return. On August 11, 2022, seven months before his return to Meta, Grudin had set out to put a crypto wallet "in every pocket"2.
Sources
- bctechnology.com (T-Net), "Vancouver-based Blockchain Heavyweight Dapper Labs Appoints New President and Chief Business Officer," bctechnology.com (T-Net), Aug. 16, 2022, https://www.bctechnology.com/news/2022/8/16/Vancouver-based-Blockchain-Heavyweight-Dapper-Labs-Appoints-New-President-and-Chief-Business-Officer.cfm
- Knowlton Thomas, "Facebook Veteran Nick Gruden Departs for Dapper Labs as Crypto Startup Builds Out Team," Techcouver.com, Aug. 11, 2022, https://techcouver.com/2022/08/11/facebook-nick-gruden-dapper-labs/
- Variety, "Meta Rehires Nick Grudin as Head of Content Partnerships, Seven Months After He Left for an NFT Startup," Variety, Mar. 22, 2023, https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/meta-rehires-nick-grudin-1235555000/