Diran Li became chief executive of Messari on March 16, 2026. Outgoing CEO Eric Turner posted on X that he was handing Li the role12. Li had spent seven years as the firm's chief technology officer before the promotion, ForkLog reported on March 16. The change came with a new round of layoffs, the third Messari has run since February 2023.
18 CEO appointments on the record in 2026 so far
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2026: 18
- 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 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 35 |
| 2026 | 18 |
Trading Venues & Brokerage led CEO appointments in 2026, with three
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified in 2026, by the sector of the company
- Protocol Research: 1
- Trading Venues & Brokerage, Wallets & Consumer Apps, Capital Markets & Treasury, Stablecoins & Payments, 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 |
|---|---|
| Trading Venues & Brokerage | 3 |
| Wallets & Consumer Apps | 2 |
| Capital Markets & Treasury | 2 |
| Stablecoins & Payments | 1 |
| Protocol Research | 1 |
| Layer 1s & Infrastructure | 1 |
The move
Li announced his own appointment in plain terms. “Today I'm stepping into the CEO role at Messari. After conversations with Eric and the board, we agreed this is the right step for the company's next chapter,” Li wrote1. He added, “This transition also includes a difficult decision: we've parted ways with many teammates who helped build Messari into what it is today. I'm incredibly grateful for their work and the impact they've had on the company”.
Turner's own post, quoted by ForkLog, framed the handoff as settled before it became public. “Today, I stepped down as CEO of Messari and handed the reins to Diran. This wasn't an easy decision, but it's the right one for the company's next phase, and he has my full support,” Turner wrote2. ForkLog reported that Messari "has not disclosed the exact number of employees laid off." Li's own account named "many teammates" instead of a figure1.
Messari before and after
Turner had led Messari on an interim basis since July 2024, stepping in after founder Ryan Selkis resigned, ForkLog reported2. Messari had already cut staff by about 15 percent in January 2025 and ran a similar reduction in February 2023, according to the same report. Li told ForkLog the new cuts served a strategic shift toward an AI-focused company built around research and products for institutional clients. Three days before the handoff, on March 13, 2026, Li had announced Messari's rollout of the x402 protocol, which lets developers and autonomous AI agents pay for on-chain data directly from crypto wallets, ForkLog reported.
What to watch
Li's case rests on institutional demand for AI-driven research products, the area ForkLog said Messari would now prioritize2. The evidence that would confirm it is a renewed client list or a revenue disclosure built on x402 and Messari's AI tools, figures both posts leave out entirely1. A reader can also watch whether Messari runs a fourth round of layoffs. That would mark a pattern tied to the business, separate from the one-time reset that came with Li's arrival.
Sources
- Diran Li, post on X, March 16, 2026, https://x.com/diran_li/status/2033641098795729141
- "Messari Appoints New CEO Amid Staff Reductions," ForkLog, March 17, 2026, https://forklog.com/en/messari-appoints-new-ceo-amid-staff-reductions/