Eclipse CEO steps back amid harassment allegations

Eclipse CEO Neel Somani said Thursday he is stepping back from the Layer 2 project shortly after a flurry of sexual harassment allegations against him resurfaced. 

Somani denied any misconduct in a post on X, adding that the role reduction is temporary. The announcement came roughly a day after allegations of the Layer 2 founder's sexual misconduct swirled on X.

“I'll be temporarily reducing my role as a public face for Eclipse,” Somani said Thursday. “It isn't fair for the team at Eclipse, our investors, or our ecosystem of developers to have this situation weighing on their reputations.”

For its part, Eclipse said in a post on X that it will share more background and details about the senior leaders at Eclipse in the coming days.

"Our mission at Eclipse has always been to bridge the gap between Ethereum and Solana and build a truly novel and high-performing blockchain for the future of the crypto industry," the company said. "We remain committed to this vision, our supporters, and our broader ecosystem/community."

RELATED INDICES

Somani said he is "work[ing] to clear [his] name and defend" himself against the allegations, although he didn't specify what that would entail.   

Neither Somani nor Eclipse immediately responded to The Block's request for comment. 

The protocol founder added that the transition of power would allow "conversations to unfold and the truth to emerge" in a follow-up X post. 

"Voices should never be silenced," Somani said.