Activision Blizzard president and Chief Operating Officer Daniel Alegre is leaving the company to become CEO of blockchain company Yuga Labs, which owns famous ugly NFTs like Bored Ape and CryptoPunks. Alegre, who was named in a February lawsuit alleging Activision Blizzard misled the SEC about its contested Microsoft merger, will help Yuga create a “vision of a truly interoperable metaverse,” co-founder Wylie Aronow said in a December 19 announcement.
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“[Former CEO Nicole Muniz], [co-founder Greg Solano], and I have been on the hunt for someone with Daniel’s skill set for some time,” Aronow—whose company started being investigated by the SEC in October—continued. “He brings valuable experience across entertainment, e-commerce, and global strategic partnerships—all of which are critical aspects of an immersive web3 world built by creators and for creators.”
This is not Alegre’s first time getting close to the crypto sun. Earlier this year, Microsoft called Activision Blizzard “a key role in the development of [its] metaverse platforms,” and Alegre has extensive background in tech leadership, having worked at Google for 16 years prior to his joining Activision Blizzard in 2020.
About his new role, Alegre said that “Yuga Labs has quickly made a name for itself through a powerful combination of storytelling and community-building.”
“The company’s pipeline of products, partnerships, and IP represents a massive opportunity to define the metaverse in a way that empowers creators and provides users with true ownership of their identity and digital assets,” he continued. Earlier this month, NFT collectors filed a class action lawsuit against Yuga, claiming the company deceived buyers by inflating prices through alluring, but paid celebrity endorsements.
Sounds like a match made in tech heaven to me. And just like when your high school friend posts her sad diamond ring on Instagram after she gets engaged to that guy you never liked, Alegre has posted his chosen Bored Ape on Twitter. Bitcoin news site CoinDesk reports that Alegre has chosen “Mutant Ape #3850 as his new profile picture (PFP), reflecting his evolving identity in Web3.”
Sure, babe, I’m happy for you. Congrats to the new couple—stay out of trouble, if you can.