Dan Finlay, the co-founder of MetaMask and a longtime developer at Consensys, has announced his departure from the company. In a post on X, Finlay stated that Wednesday was his “last day” at Consensys after approximately 10 years of building the popular Ethereum wallet. He cited burnout and a desire to spend more time with his family as the primary reasons for leaving. “Wishing the team the best — they have an amazing road ahead of them,” he wrote.
MetaMask launched in 2016 under Consensys and became one of the most widely used Ethereum wallets on desktop and mobile. It helped millions of users access decentralized applications and manage digital assets during the rise of decentralized finance, NFTs, and other blockchain services. The wallet now serves over 30 million monthly active users, according to Consensys metrics. MetaMask expanded beyond its early Ethereum focus, adding support for more networks, including non-EVM chains like Bitcoin and Tron. It also moved into newer product areas such as prediction markets, tokenized stocks, and a payment card launched with Mastercard.
Soon after announcing his departure, Finlay pointed to the release of Advanced Permissions, also known as ERC-7715. This feature lets decentralized applications request specific permissions from users so they can carry out approved actions without requiring a fresh signature every time. According to MetaMask’s developer documentation, the system can support use cases such as scheduled purchases or repeated onchain actions with set limits. One example states that a user can allow a dApp to spend “10 USDC per day” to buy ETH over a month. Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm called the feature “extremely important,” noting that it finally enables recurring payment systems in crypto, similar to Visa and Mastercard.
Finlay’s exit marks a leadership change for one of the best-known wallet products in the Ethereum ecosystem. He was a vocal advocate for user sovereignty, decentralized identity, and privacy-preserving features. Industry observers are now monitoring how Consensys will manage this transition. The company has not yet announced a direct successor for his specific responsibilities. The core development team, which includes other long-standing contributors, has assured the community of continuity. The departure raises questions about the future direction of MetaMask, but the application’s security and functionality rely on robust engineering processes, not a single individual.
