Ethereum L2 Eclipse CEO steps down amid sexual harassment claims

Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Eclipse founder and CEO Neel Somani said he would “temporarily scale back” his role as the company’s “public face” as he faces allegations of sexual misconduct.

“Serious allegations were made against me on Twitter last week. These claims are false,” Somani wrote to X on May 9. post. “Serious allegations of sexual misconduct require a serious and thoughtful response.”

“I have never sexually assaulted or harassed any woman,” he said, adding, “I will work to clear my name and defend myself.”

Eclipse’s senior management is “well-equipped to take on this responsibility and it will allow these conversations to unfold and the truth about these allegations to emerge,” he wrote.

May 9 postEclipse wrote that its team “takes seriously the allegations against our CEO, Neel Somani, and believes in the importance of the truth.”

Related: The SEC doesn’t want Ethereum to change the banking landscape, says Joseph Lubin.“Eclipse remains committed to maintaining the highest personal and professional standards, including gender equality and fair treatment,” he wrote.

Somani and Eclipse did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In March, Eclipse said it had raised $50 million in a Series A round led by venture firms Hack VC and Placeholder, bringing its total capital raised to $65 million.

The company launched its mainnet on Ethereum Layer 2 in September 2023.

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