The identities of two of the four founders of Bored Ape Yacht Club were revealed in a news report, sparking a debate over anonymity and so-called ‘d
The identities of two of the four founders of Bored Ape Yacht Club were revealed in a news report, sparking a debate over anonymity and so-called ‘doxxing’ in blockchain businesses.
“Gordon Goner” and “Gargamel” have been revealed as being Greg Solano and Wylie Aronow in an article by Buzzfeed Inc (NASDAQ:BZFD), the US media and entertainment company, over the weekend.
Buzzfeed was able to find out the identities of the non-fungible tokens (NFT) collection founders through a search of publicly available records of Yuga Labs, the company behind the artwork.
The revelation comes as Yuga Labs indicated it was in funding talks with Andreessen Horowitz, a tech venture capitalist company, which had reportedly valued the company at US$5bn.
Kate Notopoulos said in the article that “there are reasons why in traditional business world, the chief executive or founder of a company uses their real name and not a pseudonym”.
Executives of public traded companies must be named in Securities and Exchange Commission disclosures and reports, with Notopoulos adding that “these laws are in part to prevent terrorists, criminals, or sanctioned nations from doing business in the US”.
The exposure of the founders sparked outcry among the Web3 community, with many describing the article as ‘doxxing’ rather than journalist practice.
Celebrities Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton have publicly confirmed that they own Bored Ape NFTs, as well as sports stars Neymar and Stephen Curry.
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