The identity of those behind the Bored Apes NFT is finally public. After months of intense scrutiny, Buzzfeed has uncovered the identity of two of the main founders as Greg Solano and Wylie Aronow.
While both men are yet to comment, Nicole Muniz, the CEO of Yuga labs, the company behind the project, has confirmed the identity.
Though they granted interviews with news outlets such as Coindesk, New Yorker, and Rolling Stone, they used Gordon Goner and Gargamel as pseudonyms. As the BAYC became more popular, questions about the identity of the founders have also surfaced.
Interestingly, the other two co-founders, the identity of the other two pseudonymous founders “No Sass” and “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” remain anonymous.
BAYC’s pronounced role in NFT space
Less than one year since its launch, Bored Apes Yacht Club has grown to become one of the most valuable NFT collections. It has crossed over $1 billion in trading volume already and boasts of some of the most elite holders in the space.
The collection’s growth has made it a reference point for other collections in the space. This means it has been subject to criticisms and comments on its actions and inactions.
There were allegations that some Apes have racist undertones, a claim that Yuga Labs has denied. There are also concerns as to whether the original artists were duly compensated.
Anonymity and using pseudonyms is a common element of the Web3 economy. But artists in the NFT scene and founders of DeFi projects have taken this up a notch.
Although such anonymity helps to focus on the actual project rather than the founders, it also poses a risk regarding who to hold accountable for the project.
Recently, members of Wonderland DAO had to vote on whether to keep its treasurer, 0xSifu. This came after discovering that the pseudonymous 0xSifu is Michael Patryn, a man with fraudulent pasts.
However, the reveal is unlikely to affect the value of BAYC, which has developed a cult following separate from its founders.
It has also been revealed that venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is planning to invest in Yuga Labs—the parent company of BAYC— which would raise its valuation to around $5 billion.
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