Wylie Aronow (Gordon Goner), the co-founder of Yuga Labs/Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), has announced his departure from the project as a core team member owing to congestive heart failure.
It has been reported that the nonfungible token (NFT) pioneer stated that symptoms started to appear out of the blue last year. He put off seeking help to work on building his projects. The founder reassures his confidence in the project’s leadership via his Twitter thread.
However, he further explains he cannot exert himself much, although he can “go on walks, travel and live a mostly normal life.” He explained that the condition is progressing pretty fast, meaning he would now need to make some serious changes.
The entrepreneur said he lost his twenties to a chronic illness already. Then, when Yuga Labs happened, he went at it full speed ahead. He also stated he was working 12 hours a day and never sought balance.
The report said that Wylie will continue as a board member and strategic advisor at Yuga Labs. “My confidence in Yuga’s future and @cryptogarga’s leadership are unwavering. Daniel Alegre (@dalegre) soon joining only makes me more bullish,” says Wylie in his Twitter thread. Daniel Alegre is the (soon to be former) President and Chief Operating Officer of gaming giant Activision. Wylie also has an optimistic future in sight for his brand.
Yuga Labs rose to prominence in early 2021, and launched the top NFT project Bored Ape Yacht Club in April 2021. The core team of Yuga Labs consists of Wylie Aronow, Greg Solano, Zeshan, and Kerem. The NFT project soon became a worldwide success, with top NFT collectors, investors, enthusiasts, actors, and brands all purchasing the digital collectibles.
Thus, in March 2022, BAYC completed a $450 million funding round led by a16z, placing Yuga Labs at a $4 billion valuation. In the following months, Yuga also took major moves to cement themselves as a legacy blue-chip brand in the NFT space. Some of these include acquiring digital artifact shops (10KTF), acquiring the OG NFT project CryptoPunks, launching successful runs to their Otherside metaverse, and expanding the overall project lore and ecosystem.
Source: NFT Evening