Crypto Hiring: Activision Blizzard Exec Steps Into Yuga Labs CEO Role

A builder of Cardano blockchain nabs ex-Symphony chief operating officer to lead upcoming sidechain

article-image

Source: Shutterstock / rui vale sousa / Anton Lumo, modified by Blockworks

share

The chief operating officer at video game company Activision Blizzard will officially step into the CEO role at Yuga Labs tomorrow. 

Yuga Labs is the startup behind Bored Ape Yacht Club. Daniel Alegra is set to join the company after his stint as president of COO and president at Activision Blizzard, which began in April 2020. 

Yuga Labs first revealed Alegra’s upcoming appointment in December, noting he would succeed Nicole Muniz. A company spokesperson declined to comment further.

Before joining Activision Blizzard, Alegre spent 16 years at Google. He served in various leadership roles at the tech giant, ending his tenure there as president of global retail, shopping and payments. 

Loading Tweet..

Cardano builder nabs leader for upcoming protocol

Software research and development company Input Output Global (IOG) has hired Eran Barak as CEO of its new data-protection protocol. 

Dubbed Midnight, the protocol — currently in development — is set to use zero-knowledge proofs to safeguard personal and commercial data. Expected use cases include financial workflows, healthcare records and supply chain activities, according to the company. 

Midnight will be a sidechain to the Cardano blockchain, for which IOG is a builder. 

Barak was formerly the chief operating officer from 2014 to 2022 at markets technology platform Symphony. He has also worked in senior positions at Amdocs and Thomson Reuters.

Other notable hires

  • Jenna Pilgrim is now head of portfolio growth for CoinFund, an investment firm that holds a portfolio comprising more 100 crypto and web3 ventures. Pilgrim was most recently a managing partner at Canada-based web3 hiring firm Mayflower Strategic.
  • Coin Metrics hired Chris Overton as chief technology officer. It has also appointed Trevor Vale and Gina Rubino as its senior vice president of sales and head of marketing, respectively. 
  • PolySign has brought aboard Charles Ocheret as chief technology officer. The executive, who has held leadership roles as JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, founded ReadyPosition, a software and consulting solutions provider.  

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Featured.png

Research

Helium stands at a pivotal moment in its evolution as a decentralized wireless network, balancing rapid growth, economic restructuring, and global expansion. With accelerated growth in domestic DAUs and Hotspots supporting its network, Helium is leveraging strategic partnerships and innovative proposals to scale internationally. The recent implementation of HIP 138, “Return to HNT,” has unified its token economy under HNT, simplifying participation and strengthening liquidity, while HIP 139’s phase-out of CBRS refocuses efforts on scalable Wi-Fi offload. Meanwhile, governance shifts under HIP 141 raise questions about centralization as Nova Labs consolidates control over the roadmap.

article-image

The DeFi Education Fund has ideas on how the crypto-friendly SEC can bring Commissioner Peirce’s vision to life

article-image

“Be prepared to do more with less,” Framework Ventures’ Michael Anderson said

article-image

Q1 may have been “frustrating,” but things are looking brighter for Q2

article-image

Tokens worth 20% of the current supply of the TRUMP memecoin launched by the president are set to be unlocked tomorrow

article-image

A crypto-industry lawsuit is “moot” now that Joint Resolution 25 has been signed into law

article-image

Fed Chair Powell assured markets that the labor market is in “good place,” dependent on price stability