TL;DR
- Messari CEO Ryan Selkis has apologized for extremist and violent comments on social media.
- The comments came in the wake of an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
- Messari, backed by major investment firms, has yet to officially comment on the incident.
Ryan Selkis, founder and CEO of crypto research platform Messari, has sparked controversy for a series of extremist posts on Platform X (formerly Twitter).
The incendiary remarks came after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Selkis, known for his direct and provocative style on social media, expressed his anger and vehement support for Trump, leading to a series of violent and anti-immigrant comments.
In one of his most controversial posts, Selkis declared: “Anyone who votes against Trump right now can die in a fucking fire. Literal war.”
He also claimed that “the civil war for the country began today” and continued to engage with followers with anti-immigrant comments, asking one user if they were a permanent resident or a U.S. citizen.
The posts sparked an immediate backlash from a number of quarters, including criticism from prominent commentator Molly White, who noted that Messari’s head of engineering is on an H1-B visa.
Some recent tweets from the founder and CEO of a prominent cryptocurrency company. pic.twitter.com/3ZjJvP0isw
— Molly White (@molly0xFFF) July 18, 2024
The strong public backlash prompted Selkis to issue an apology in which she acknowledged taking things too far.
“I’m sorry I was angry last weekend. I’ve seen enough of President Trump to love the man and his sacrifice. I overdid it after seeing the result of 10 years of hate nearly end his life. We will win with character, strength and non-violence,” Selkis wrote.
Despite his apology, Selkis reaffirmed his political stance and expressed his admiration for Trump, which maintains his position as a polarizing figure in the crypto community.
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. https://t.co/9kgBx0LfnH
— Ryan Selkis (d/acc) 🇺🇸 (@twobitidiot) July 19, 2024
Reactions and context on Messari’s SEO statements
Selkis posts were notable not only for their aggressive tone, but also for their implication of political violence and anti-immigrant rhetoric, which is particularly relevant given the polarized political climate in the United States.
The situation was aggravated when Selkis suggested that violence might be necessary to achieve unity, recalling historical events of internal conflict in the country.
His interactions with followers, including disparaging comments about immigrants and suggestions of deportation, underscored the gravity of his remarks.
Additionally, Selkis verbally attacked Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, calling him a “naive and useless political commentator” after Buterin argued that the crypto community should not vote for a politician just because he is “pro-crypto,” but should take a closer look at the party’s policies on encryption and digital privacy.
Messari, a platform backed by major investment firms such as Point72 Ventures, Morgan Creek Digital, Samsung Next, Galaxy, and Coinbase Ventures, plays a crucial role in the cryptocurrency industry, providing data and analytics on digital assets.
However, Selkis’s behavior has put the company under scrutiny.
Messari has not yet issued any official comment on the incident, leaving the potential repercussions for the company and its leadership up in the air.
The situation highlights the challenges facing tech and crypto companies with charismatic but controversial leaders, and how their actions and words can influence public perception and investor backing.
While Selkis has vowed to scale back her social media activity and focus on longer-form communication, the controversy leaves a significant mark on her reputation and that of Messari.
