Dash named Ryan Taylor, its Director of Finance, as CEO of the Dash Core Project on April 18, 2017. The move came as founder Evan Duffield transitioned to a senior advisor role. Duffield stepped back from day-to-day duties he had held since starting the project1. Taylor would lead organizational growth and maintain the project vision. He would also oversee communications with Dash's partners and investors, Dash's own announcement said.
Three CEO appointments on the record in 2017
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year
- 2017: 3
- 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
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 |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17 |
Wallets & Consumer Apps led CEO appointments in 2017, with one
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified in 2017, by the sector of the company
- Stablecoins & Payments: 1
- Wallets & Consumer Apps, Layer 1s & Infrastructure
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 |
|---|---|
| Wallets & Consumer Apps | 1 |
| Stablecoins & Payments | 1 |
| Layer 1s & Infrastructure | 1 |
The move
Duffield explained the handoff in terms of what he had already stopped doing. “For the last several months, daily operations and technology development at Dash Core have been led by now-CEO Ryan Taylor and CTO Andy Freer,” he said. “Our most recent software upgrade, deployed in February, was developed and released without my hands-on involvement”1. He added a statement about his original goal for the project. “Since the beginning, my ambition was to create a sustainable and resilient blockchain project without any singular points of failure,” Duffield said.
Taylor answered with praise for Duffield's record and a claim about Dash's trajectory. “Evan is one of the most gifted minds in blockchain and fintech. He created something that will have a permanent and lasting impact on many people across the world in a rapidly evolving economy,” Taylor said1. Finance Magnates reporter Avi Mizrahi confirmed the appointment kept Dash's governance structure as it stood, noting Taylor had been "appointed as CEO of the Dash Core Project" after serving as the organization's Director of Finance2.
Before and after the handoff
Taylor had joined Dash full time in March 2016, leaving a Wall Street career behind. Before that, Dash's own announcement said, he worked as a hedge fund analyst covering payments industry investments for a $20 billion investment firm1. He had earlier served as an Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company's Business Technology Office. Dash reported a market capitalization over $540 million on the day of the announcement. Exchanges including Kraken, BTC-e and Bitfinex had added support for the token.
The appointment came alongside a run of partnership news. Dash's own release said the first quarter of 2017 had already brought "collaboration with BitPanda, MaRSe, and BlockPay"1. The company also pointed to an upgrade called Sentinel, which it described as a step toward a decentralized payments system named Evolution. Dash said it planned to add more than 20 new positions. Its headquarters then sat at Arizona State University's SkySong Innovation Center.
What came next
FinTech Magazine still called Taylor Dash's CEO on May 16, 20203. That was more than three years after his appointment. The report covered his case for cryptocurrency in Venezuela, where Dash had expanded three years before. Taylor called it critical to survival there.
Sources
- Dash, "Ryan Taylor named Dash Core CEO as founder Evan Duffield transitions to senior advisor role," Dash, Apr. 18, 2017, https://www.dash.org/news/ryan-taylornameddashceo/
- Avi Mizrahi, "Ryan Taylor Takes Over as Dash CEO from Founder Evan Duffield," Finance Magnates, Apr. 18, 2017, https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/news/ryan-taylor-takes-dash-ceo-founder-evan-duffield/
- "Dash CEO: cryptocurrency is vital in Venezuela," FinTech Magazine, May 16, 2020, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimgFBVV95cUxPeDZNTWRiTWdfQ0lPSUxzUlJHaWdFeEktbW16Xzk4cWFhZWZLTF9Ec2VlaF9wNTZSWFJ6UUpMZkx2eGNZWG1qeFpHLW03eDhKOVJWc1FYUllxUUx6bl9mcGdKVjJqTm9TSVhHdEI2X0xOeUhVakdtZkZuaENzZUVyXzRpb0M3QS1wbmY1MkE5bHpiemNJZ0hmcWV3?oc=5