Messari CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Political Comments

On Friday, Ryan Selkis, the CEO and founder of the well-known crypto data and research tool Messari, announced his leaving. The ruling follows public political remarks made by Selkis admitting he put his team under danger.

“This week was the first week in 6.5 years that my politics and rhetoric put the team in harm’s way,” Selkis said on the X social media page. “As such, I have decided to step aside as CEO.” As announced by Selkis in an official statement, Messari’s Chief Revenue Officer Eric Turn will take over as CEO after his leaving.

Messari CEO Leaves Firm

Selkis spoke with the Messari crew about his divisive remarks before he left. Thursday he thought back on the conversation, characterizing it as a “tough love” session with the corporate leadership. He thanked his colleagues for their helpful comments and admitted he had let his emotions control him.

“Just had a terrific ‘tough love’ session with Messari leadership, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate people who approach me in good faith and help rein me in because they know my vision and where my heart is. I ran too hot this week, and will address that in full soon,” Selkis wrote.

The Debate and Trump’s Assassination

The debate started when Selkis responded to the attempted murder of former US President and current Republican presidential contender Donald Trump. Selkis angrily and in a provocative way declared his support for Trump in a run of now removed remarks on X. Molly White, a software engineer and writer running the crypto-critical website Web3 is Going Just Great, later published his remarks.

Selkis penned in one of the deleted messages, “Anyone that votes against Trump at this point can die in a f—king fire,” adding, “Literal war.”

Apology

Selkis apologized after White spoke, clarifying his emotional condition at the moment. “I’m sorry I was angry last weekend. I’ve seen enough of President Trump to love the man and his sacrifice. I took things too far after I saw the result of 10 years of hate nearly take his life. We will win through character, strength and non-violence. No hard feelings, Molly,” he wrote.

Selkis’s remarks were sparked by an attempted murder on Trump during a July 13, Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally. Luckily, Trump survived the onslaught.

The leaving of Selkis represents a turning point for Messari. Under his direction, the platform has expanded to become an indispensable source of information on cryptocurrencies including analysis. Eric Turn, the incoming CEO, is supposed to carry on the company’s goals while guiding it through this moment of change.

The fact that Selkis resigned emphasizes the careful balance leaders have to strike between personal convictions and professional obligations. The effect of such well-publicized resignations on market mood and organizational stability is still to be observed as the crypto sector develops.