Eclipse CEO Neil Somani Addresses Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Steps Back From Public Role
Eclipse founder and CEO Neil Somani has announced that he will temporarily reduce his company's public-facing role following allegations of sexual misconduct.
The allegations surfaced last week on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), prompting Somani to address the situation in a public statement.
TLDR
Neil Somani, founder and CEO of Ethereum scaling company Eclipse, has stepped back from his role as the company's “public face” amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Somani has denied the allegations, calling them “false” and plans to work to clear his name and defend himself. Eclipse states that it takes allegations seriously and is committed to maintaining high personal and professional standards, including gender equality and fair treatment. In March, Eclipse raised $50 million in a Series A funding round, bringing its total capital to $65 million. Eclipse has launched the mainnet of its Ethereum Layer 2 solution in September 2023, aiming to foster collaboration and interoperability between the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems.
In a post on X, Somani denied the allegations, saying, “These allegations are false, but serious allegations of sexual abuse warrant a serious and thoughtful response. He added that he had no knowledge of sexually assaulting or harassing any women and that he planned to work to clear his name and defend the allegations.
Last week I received serious allegations on Twitter. These allegations are false, but serious allegations of sexual abuse warrant a serious and deliberate response. You'll find that response in the series below.
– nelsalami.it ???? (@neelsalami) May 9, 2024
Although Somani has stepped back from his public duties, he clarified in a private message to The Block that he is still actively involved in his role as CEO and has no plans to step down. “I won't be on podcasts/panels for the time being,” he explained.
Eclipse, the Ethereum Layer 2 scaling project, has expressed its position on Eclipse in a public statement, including its commitment to maintaining the highest personal and professional standards, including gender equality and fair treatment.
The company said it takes the allegations against Somani seriously and believes in the importance of truth.
Eclipse is committed to maintaining the highest personal and professional standards, including gender equality and fair treatment. The team takes the allegations against our CEO Neil Somani seriously and believes in the importance of truth.
– Eclipse ???? (@EclipseFND) May 9, 2024
In the coming days, Eclipse plans to share more background and details about the senior leaders who are expected to take on additional responsibilities in Somani's interim role.
The company is focused on its mission to bridge the gap between Ethereum and Solana, building a high-performance blockchain for the future of the crypto industry.
The lawsuit against Somani comes two months after Eclipse announced a successful $50 million Series A funding round in March, led by Plus Holdings and Hack VC.
The round brought the total capital raised by the company to $65 million, with participation from notable investors such as Polychain Capital, Delphi Digital and Fenbushi Capital.
Eclipse has launched the mainnet of its Ethereum Layer 2 solution in September 2023, aiming to foster collaboration and interoperability between the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems.
The project allows applications built for Solana to run on Eclipse with minimal modifications, with SOL tokens serving as the primary currency in the Eclipse ecosystem.
