From Meatspace to Cyberspace: Top Execs Moving From Traditional to Crypto Jobs in 2019

Despite the bearish market conditions of early 2019, many saw fit to join the blockchain movement and leave their familiar jobs behind.

Former Goldman Sachs executive Marco Lim joined MaiCapital, a Hong Kong-based blockchain and cryptocurrency-focused hedge fund.

Veteran Wall Street trader Nick Carmi joined BitGo, a blockchain security and cryptocurrency custody firm.

Stephen Moore, an economist and former Trump campaign advisor, joined the Decentral cryptocurrency project as chief economic officer.

The cast of characters joining the crypto stage grew, with big banks and financial institutions proving to be an excellent source of talent.

Mike Kennedy, founder of the Zelle digital payments network, joined Interstellar as its new CEO. The Zelle payment system is used by numerous traditional financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, Citi, and Bank of America, according to its website.

Former Google product manager Tony Sheng joined Blockchain and cryptocurrency investment firm Multicoin Capital.

Former Congressional Assistant Ron Hammond joined Ripple in his new role as manager of government relations.

In November, another United States government official migrated to the blockchain industry, joining cryptocurrency payment startup C Labs.

Julian Sawyer, a former CEO and co-founder at the United Kingdom-based Starling Bank, joined the Gemini exchange as the new managing director of the U.K. and Europe.