TM Lee stepped down as chief executive officer of CoinGecko on August 18, 2025. He moved into a newly created president role, the crypto data company announced on its own site1. His fellow co-founder, Bobby Ong, took over as chief executive that same day. Fintech News Malaysia confirmed the move the next day, August 19, 2025, reporting that “co-founder and former CEO TM Lee will take on the role of President”2. Lee had led CoinGecko as chief executive since he and Ong founded the company together in 2014, CoinGecko's own announcement states.
20 CEO exits on the record in 2025
CEO exits CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2025: 20
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 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 | 7 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 20 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 18 |
Bitcoin & Mining led CEO exits in 2025, with two
CEO exits CryptoLately has verified in 2025, by the sector of the company
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 |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin & Mining | 2 |
| Regulation & Enforcement | 2 |
| Capital Markets & Treasury | 2 |
| Trading Venues & Brokerage | 2 |
| AI and Crypto | 1 |
| Wallets & Consumer Apps | 1 |
| Institutional Custody & Asset Management | 1 |
The handoff
Lee's new role centers on product work instead of daily management. “As President, TM will advance our long-term product vision and lead zero-to-one R&D initiatives, driving foundational innovation to keep CoinGecko at the forefront of market leadership and shape the next decade of crypto,” the company's post states1. Ong spoke about the partnership that led to the change. “TM and I started CoinGecko with a shared vision to empower the decentralized future. It's been a privilege to build alongside him from day one, cultivating a user-first culture rooted in transparency and integrity. These values will continue to guide us forward,” Ong said.
CoinGecko before and after
Cedric Chan joined CoinGecko as head of engineering in 20211. His team pushed CoinGecko's crypto data API past 677 billion requests in the year before the title change, Fintech News Malaysia reported2. That same August 18, 2025, announcement named Chan chief technology officer, a promotion that took effect alongside Lee's move to president. CoinGecko described the whole reshuffle as a structural shift. “We're excited to announce a series of leadership transitions at CoinGecko, marking an important step in our journey from a founder-led startup to a globally trusted crypto data infrastructure provider,” the company wrote.
What came next
CoinDesk reported on January 13, 2026, that CoinGecko was exploring a sale at a valuation of around $500 million, five months after Lee moved into the president role3. CoinGecko had hired investment bank Moelis to run the sale process, the outlet reported. CoinDesk's report traced the company back to its 2014 founding by Lee and Ong. It tied the sale talks to a drop in traffic, reporting that CoinGecko's monthly visits fell to about 18.5 million in December 2025 from 43.5 million in 2024, citing Similarweb data. CoinGecko left the outlet's request for comment unanswered, and Moelis declined to comment, CoinDesk reported.
Sources
- CoinGecko, "CoinGecko Strengthens Leadership with New CEO, President, and CTO," CoinGecko, August 18, 2025, https://www.coingecko.com/learn/strengthens-leadership
- "CoinGecko Names New CEO, President and CTO in Leadership Reshuffle," Fintech News Malaysia, August 19, 2025, https://fintechnews.my/53659/blockchain/coingecko-leadership/
- Will Canny, "SCOOP: Crypto data platform CoinGecko weighs sale for around $500 million, sources say," CoinDesk, January 13, 2026, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiwwFBVV95cUxPN3JBM2dEUThkRVcydEY2dmNwUnVOd2t5azNRNXBCM25qa2hBZ3piTWtNcTVhSEtpa01DbElKMGhlcndDbl8wRjNDTWFIR1pId3MtSlpGV19jcUlUV21GemFVOWh3YU1oYUZhTVprMXIxTVNQUEdHWTR5S3p2cXJEc2d2Sy1aSHFlak1wQmFCZENVWDZBWFdINldGVEpwN2ppMXp0dW1WUkQ3UndVcS1nRGNKSG9UbVlqZG1leS10cE9iQk0?oc=5