DeFi Protocols
ProtocolsDeFi Protocols
Crypto Lending's Comeback Still Needs the Same Bridges
Lending protocols recovered 55 percent since July, but the bridges and oracles that caused April's $292 million hack still carry every loan.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Michael Weisz Becomes CEO of the Solana Lender Kamino
Yieldstreet co-founder Michael Weisz became CEO of the Solana lending protocol Kamino on Sept. 15, 2026.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Compound Foundation Names a COO, CPO and CTO
Compound Foundation named a COO, a CPO and a CTO on Aug. 17, 2026.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Adam Schlisman and Allison Parent Join Ondo Finance's Executive Ranks
Ondo Finance hired Adam Schlisman as chief financial officer on August 5, 2026, and Allison Parent as chief policy officer on August 28, 2026, three months after founder Nathan Allman's death opened a Delaware court fight over who runs the company.
ProtocolsLayoffs
Noah Tweedale Fires Dozens at Pump.fun Before Tokens Vest
Pump.fun cut more than 40 staff in two rounds starting in early April 2026, weeks before the first quarter of their PUMP token grants was due to vest in June. The company's own team and investors collected a $102 million unlock in July.
ProtocolsExits and Removals
1inch Confirms Co-Founder Anton Bukov's Exit From Operations
1inch confirmed on July 16, 2026, that co-founder Anton Bukov had stopped contributing to the project since December 2025, after Bukov said on X that he had been fired in late November 2025.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Ian De Bode Succeeds Nathan Allman at Ondo Finance
Ondo Finance named its president CEO in the post that announced founder Nathan Allman's death on May 25, 2026.
ProtocolsExits and Removals
Sushi Labs Managing Director Jared Grey Steps Down
Jared Grey announced on Dec. 1, 2025 that he would step down as Sushi's Head Chef and Sushi Labs managing director for an advisory role, as Synthesis founder Alex McCurry took over and invested in the protocol.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Sushi Names Alex McCurry Chief Executive
PANews reported on December 1, 2025, that Jared Grey would step down as Sushi's top leader, and PR Newswire carried Sushi's own announcement that Alex McCurry had joined as chief executive on December 16, 2025.
ProtocolsLayoffs
Lido Cuts 15% of Its Contributor Teams
Lido co-founder Vasiliy Shapovalov said on August 1, 2025, that Lido Labs, Lido Ecosystem and Lido Alliance would cut 15% of their contributor teams to control costs despite a market upswing.
ProtocolsExits and Removals
Mary-Catherine Lader Quits as Uniswap Labs' President and COO
Mary-Catherine Lader, Uniswap Labs' first chief operating officer, left the role on July 15, 2025, after four years.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
1inch Names Hedi Navazan Chief Compliance Officer
1inch Group announced on November 6, 2024, that it had hired Hedi Navazan, a former HSBC financial crime executive, as chief compliance officer to oversee its legal and security teams.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Antonio Juliano Retakes dYdX Trading and Lays Off 35 Percent
Antonio Juliano resumed the CEO role at dYdX Trading on Oct. 10, 2024 and cut 35 percent of the core team on Oct. 29. Open interest on the dYdX chain tripled in 58 days, then fell 75.1 percent below its level on the day he returned.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Jayson Hobby Steps Down as Compound Labs Chief Executive
Jayson Hobby posted on X on July 10, 2024, that he was stepping down as Compound Labs' chief executive, and Bitget reported two days later that he had founded a new DeFi protocol called Legend.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Ben Grossman Sells Tokenized Stocks From His Own Feed
Ondo Finance's VP of Marketing posted his way to a billion-dollar tokenized-stock book while Hester Peirce and Benjamin Schiffrin pressed the case that the old rules still apply.
ProtocolsExits and Removals
Uniswap Labs Chief Legal Officer Marvin Ammori Hands Off Role
Marvin Ammori announced on June 10, 2024, that he was handing the Uniswap Labs chief legal officer post to Katherine Minarik, a former Coinbase deputy general counsel, as the firm faced a possible SEC lawsuit.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Ivo Crnkovic-Rubsamen Leads dYdX Trading for 150 Days
dYdX Trading's operating partner became CEO on May 13, 2024, when founder Antonio Juliano moved to chairman. Juliano resumed the job on Oct. 10.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Zac Prince Leaves BlockFi for Real Estate Startup
BlockFi founder Zac Prince posted on X on March 10, 2024, that he was leaving the bankrupt crypto lender, and CoinDesk reported the next day he had joined a real estate tax startup, Re Cost Seg.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Reserve Names Thomas Mattimore CEO of ABC Labs
Reserve co-founder Nevin Freeman named Thomas Mattimore chief executive of ABC Labs on Jan. 25, 2024, splitting protocol development from the new fund Confusion Capital inside the Reserve ecosystem.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Jayson Hobby Takes Over Compound Labs From Robert Leshner
Compound Labs' VP of Product became CEO on June 28, 2023, the day founder Robert Leshner announced Superstate.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Sushi DAO Elects Jared Grey as Head Chef
Sushi's governance token holders elected Jared Grey as Head Chef on Oct. 3, 2022, with 83 percent of 13 million votes cast, filling a role that had sat open for a year after 0xMaki's departure.
ProtocolsCEO Changes
Jared Grey Serves 1,155 Days as Sushi's Head Chef
Sushi's token holders elected Jared Grey Head Chef on Oct. 3, 2022, and he led until Dec. 1, 2025.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Maple Finance Names Katherine Kirkpatrick General Counsel
Maple Finance named Katherine Kirkpatrick general counsel on February 7, 2022, putting a King & Spalding partner over the legal side of a lending platform chasing $5 billion in loans.
ProtocolsExits and Removals
Sushi's 0xMaki Steps Down Into Advisory Role
Sushi core contributor 0xMaki announced on September 18, 2021, that he was leaving day-to-day operations at the decentralized exchange for an advisory role.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Injective Labs Names Brandon Ferrick First General Counsel
Injective Labs hired Sullivan & Cromwell associate Brandon Ferrick as its first general counsel, Bloomberg Law reported Sept. 3, 2021, giving the decentralized trading protocol its first in-house lawyer.
ProtocolsBoard Seats
BlockFi Names Ellen-Blair Chube to Board
BlockFi announced on September 1, 2021, that William Blair managing director Ellen-Blair Chube had joined its board of directors, taking the seat left by former CFTC chairman Christopher Giancarlo.
ProtocolsBoard Seats
Christopher Giancarlo Steps Down From BlockFi Board
BlockFi said on September 1, 2021, that former CFTC chairman Christopher Giancarlo was leaving its board after four months, replaced by William Blair executive Ellen-Blair Chube.
ProtocolsDeFi Protocols
Kain Warwick's Synthetix Plants Yield Farming Eleven Months Before COMP
Synthetix paid SNX to Uniswap liquidity providers from July 2019, eleven months before Compound's COMP set off DeFi's yield farming summer.
ProtocolsExecutive Hires
Chain Names Tom Jessop as President
Chain Inc. named Tom Jessop president on April 17, 2017, pulling a 17-year Goldman Sachs veteran into the enterprise blockchain company CEO Adam Ludwin had built since 2014.
