Yuga Labs, the company behind the iconic Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection, has announced a significant leadership transition. Co-founder Greg Solano, known online as Garga, is stepping down from the Chief Executive Officer role after approximately two years and moving into the position of Chairman of the Board. He is succeeded by Michael Figge, the company's former Chief Product Officer.
The change, announced by Solano on X (formerly Twitter) on April 16, 2026, had already been in effect for several weeks prior to the public statement. Solano expressed strong confidence in his successor, stating, "Figge is the absolute best person for the job. There’s no one I trust more to lead Yuga through this next chapter." He praised Figge's long-term thinking, commitment to product quality, and ability to execute a vision.
Figge, who joined Yuga Labs in 2021, has been central to the development of the company's flagship metaverse project, Otherside. In his own statement, he emphasized a focus on scaling user adoption, stating, "With Otherside, we’re developing a world class social platform for digital ownership and crypto." He outlined that success will require significantly growing the user base and demonstrating how communities can thrive within the platform, where users interact with Otherdeeds, compete for resources, and build their own experiences.
For Solano, the shift marks a return to his creative roots. "Creative direction, writing, and figuring out insane ideas is still where I do my best work," he wrote, indicating that the new structure allows him to concentrate on these areas while remaining involved in strategic direction as Chairman.
This leadership change is part of a pattern for Yuga Labs. Solano originally took the CEO role in February 2024 following the departure of Daniel Alegre, a former Activision Blizzard executive who led the company for just 10 months. The latest transition signals a renewed strategic push, tying the company's next phase directly to product execution and user growth for Otherside, described as a "metaRPG" with player-owned worlds and real currencies.
