Credit: Yuga Labs
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Greg Solano Resumes CEO Role At Yuga Labs

BY Lorepunk

February 21, 2024

In a surprise announcement, Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano (AKA Garga) revealed on Feb. 21 that he is re-taking the reins as CEO, with Daniel Alegre stepping down.

“I am stepping back in as CEO of Yuga Labs. Wylie [Aronow] 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. Looking at what’s ahead for Yuga, we need to execute with a more cryptonative focus across the entire company,” Solano said in a Feb. 21 post on X.

Solano went on to characterize his vision for Yuga’s next steps. “The utility of BAYC comes from the network…We want to unshackle the BAYC team at Yuga as much as possible to execute against its vision. More focus, more agility,” he continued.

nft now reached out to Yuga co-founder Wylie Aronow (AKA Gordon Goner) for comment—he responded with the gif below from the hit anime Dragon Ball Z of two Super Saiyans—potent super-warriors indeed—powering up to fight.

Two Super Saiyans powering up. Credit: Dragon Ball Z

New CEO, New Structure

To implement this vision, Yuga Labs has created a subsidiary company, “BAYC LLC,” to handle everything related to Apes.

Solano also expressed bold ambitions for Otherside, which he says should be “the living room for Web3.” To realize this, he will increase the pace and amount of communication about the project.

“Otherside is also a massive swing for the fences. We’ve got a lot of work to do. The only way it gets built properly is if you all come in and experience it more often…Our communication is going to ramp up this week, starting with  ‘Apes Come Home.’ And we need to follow it up with a lot more frequent communication starting now and throughout the year,” he wrote.

Fun and Games

Solano also teased a bit of alpha around gaming—more games that are fun for everyone, like Dookey Dash, with a goal of “opening the funnel and flooding our ecosystem with millions of new users, and leveraging that to create opportunities for creators, IP holders, and pro players,” Solano continued. These initiatives will be made in partnership with game developers @farawaygg, he said.

In the tweet, he also teased a foray into “crypto-native mechanics and platforms, like [redacted].”

Departing CEO Daniel Alegre responded to Solano’s tweet, full of praise for Yuga. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this great team and to have connected globally with so many community members. Yuga has such a bright future,” he posted.

The markets reacted positively to the news, with the Bored Ape floor bouncing to around 23 ETH, about two ETH higher than the previous day.

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