Greg Solano announced on February 21, 2024, that he was returning as chief executive of Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club1. Solano is a Yuga Labs co-founder known pseudonymously as Garga. He replaced Daniel Alegre, the former Activision Blizzard chief operating officer who had held the job for about ten months, The Block reported on February 21, 20242.
Three of Yuga Labs' 8 leadership moves on the record came in 2024, its busiest year
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Yuga Labs, by year
- 2024: 3
- 2022, 2023, 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 |
26 CEO appointments on the record in 2024
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2024: 26
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 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 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 35 |
| 2026 | 18 |
The move
Solano posted the news himself, under the header "Some news to share." He wrote, “I am stepping back in as CEO of Yuga Labs. Wylie and I are grateful for all the contributions and operational rigor Daniel has brought to the company, and appreciate his thoughtfulness and mentorship over the past year. I'm reinvigorated to be taking the reins for our next chapter”1. He described himself as "stepping back in." Only Alegre and his predecessor, Nicole Muniz, had held the chief executive title before him, The Block noted2. Yuga Labs declined to comment further.
The post set three priorities: BAYC, the flagship Bored Ape Yacht Club collection, Otherside, the metaverse project, and gaming, all under a "more cryptonative" approach1. A new subsidiary, BAYC LLC, had already been created to give the Bored Ape team more autonomy, he wrote.
Before and after the handoff
A rival had passed Yuga Labs' flagship collection by one measure. The Block reported that Pudgy Penguins briefly overtook the Bored Ape Yacht Club by floor price in the week of February 21, 20242. Yuga Labs had grown its own roster across the years since its founding, adding CryptoPunks, 10KTF, Meebits and, most recently, the PROOF collective, maker of the Moonbirds NFT project, The Block reported. Alegre exited after about ten months in the role.
What came next
Solano ran Yuga Labs until April 2026, about two years after his return. The Block reported on April 16, 2026, that Solano was moving into the role of chairman of the board3. Michael Figge, who had worked at the company since 2021, took over as chief executive on April 16 as well. Solano told followers he planned to return to "creative direction, writing, and figuring out insane ideas," the work he said he did best.
Sources
- Greg Solano, post on X, February 21, 2024, https://x.com/CryptoGarga/status/1760346335247548820
- Zack Abrams, "Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano, a.k.a. Garga, to take over CEO role," The Block, February 21, 2024, https://www.theblock.co/news/web3/2024-02-21-yuga-labs-co-founder-greg-solano-a-k-a-garga-to-take-over-ceo-role-278443
- RT Watson, "Bored Apes-creator Yuga Labs taps new CEO as Greg Solano moves to chairman role," The Block, April 16, 2026, https://www.theblock.co/post/397818/bored-apes-creator-yuga-labs-taps-new-ceo-greg-solano-chairman